ILO Instruments On Chemical Safety

ILO INSTRUMENTS
ON CHEMICAL SAFETY
ILO INSTRUMENTS ON CHEMICAL SAFETY – Analysis and synergies with other international frameworks on the sound management of chemicals
Analysis and synergies with
other international frameworks on
the sound management of chemicals
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Department
ILO INSTRUMENTS ON CHEMICAL SAFETY
Analysis and synergies
with other international frameworks on
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ILO instruments on chemical safety

Language: English
ISBN: 978-92-2-031384-8 (print)

978-92-2-031383-1 (web pdf)
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Acknowledgements
This report was prepared by ILO consultant Paul Peters with technical inputs from Halshka
Graczyk, and under the overall technical guidance and coordination of Manal Azzi. The report
benefited from the review and input of LABADMIN/OSH and NORMES colleagues. Special
thanks to Tzvetomira Radoslavova for her technical review and contributions. The ILO wishes to
thank the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of Germany
for supporting this work under the project “Enhancing the role and engagement of the world of
work actors, including ministries of labour, employer and worker organisations in SAICM Beyond
2020.”
iii
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
A. Preamble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
B. Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Characteristics of ILO instruments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Improving the application of ILO Conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
C. Analysis of ILO instruments on Chemicals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
I. ILO instruments on chemical risks at work.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1. Chemicals Convention, 1990 (No. 170). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2. Chemicals Recommendation, 1990 (No. 177). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3. Code of Practice: Safety in the use of chemicals at work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4. Highlights of Convention No. 170 and its Recommendation. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5. P
romoting the global application of Convention No. 170
and its Recommendation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
II. ILO instruments on major industrial accidents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

1. Major Industrial Accidents Convention, 1993 (No. 174). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2. Major Industrial Accidents Recommendation, 1993 (No. 181). . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3. Code of Practice: Major Industrial Accidents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
4. Highlights of Convention No. 174 and its Recommendation. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5. P
romoting the global application of Convention No. 174 and
its Recommendation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
III. R
elevant ILO instruments addressing the fundamental principles of OSH.22
1. Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2. Occupational Safety and Health Recommendation, 1981 (No. 164).. . . . . . . . . 24
IV. List of Occupational Diseases Recommendation, 2002 (No. 194).. . . . . . . 24
V. ILO instruments on occupational cancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

1. Occupational Cancer Convention, 1974 (No. 139). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2. Occupational Cancer Recommendation, 1974 (No. 147). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3. Highlights of Convention No. 139 and Recommendation No. 147. . . . . . . . . . . 28
VI. ILO instruments on air pollution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

1. W
orking Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration)
Convention, 1977 (No. 148). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2. Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration)
Recommendation, 1977 (No. 156). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
v
VII. ILO instruments on asbestos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

1. Asbestos Convention, 1986 (No. 162). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2. Asbestos Recommendation, 1986 (No. 172). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
4. Special considerations for Convention No. 162 and Recommendation No. 172.. 33
VIII. ILO instruments on benzene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

1. Benzene Convention, 1971 (No. 136). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
2. Benzene Recommendation, 1971 (No. 144). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3. Scope of Convention No. 136 and Recommendation No. 144. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
IX. I LO instruments on chemical safety in agriculture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

1. Safety and Health in Agriculture Convention, 2001 (No. 184). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2. Safety and Health in Agriculture Recommendation, 2001 (No. 192). . . . . . . . . 37
3. Code of Practice on Occupational Safety and Health in Agriculture and
Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Forestry work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4. Highlights of Convention No. 184 and Recommendation No. 192). . . . . . . . . . 38
X. I LO instruments on chemical safety in construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

1. Safety and Health in Construction Convention, 1988 (No. 167).. . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2. Safety and Health in Construction Recommendation, 1988 (No. 175). . . . . . . . 40
3. Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
XI. ILO instruments on chemical safety in mining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

1. Safety and Health in Mines Convention, 1995 (No. 176).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2. Safety and Health in Mines Recommendation, 1995 (No. 183). . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3. Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Opencast Mines and
Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Underground Coalmines. . . . . . . . . . 41
XII. ILO instruments on labour inspection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
XIII. ILO codes of practice on shipbuilding and shipbreaking.. . . . . . . . . . . 43
XIV. OSH Management Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
XV. ILO
Guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally
sustainable economies and societies for all. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
vi
D. Synergies between ILO instruments and other major international
instruments on chemicals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
I. Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements

of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
1. Overview of the content of the Convention. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
2. Complementarities between the Basel Convention and ILO instruments.. . . . 49
3. Highlights of the Basel Convention. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4. The scope of the Convention.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
II. Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for

Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade . . . . . . 51
2. Complementarities between the Rotterdam Convention and ILO instruments. 52
3. Scope of the Convention. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
III. S
tockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
2. Complementarities between the Stockholm Convention and ILO instruments. 54
IV. Minamata Convention on Mercury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

2. Complementarities between the Minamata Convention and ILO instruments. 56
V. Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals .57

1. Overview of the content of the GHS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
2. Finding complementarities between the GHS and ILO instruments. . . . . . . . 58
3. State of implementation of the GHS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
E. ILO instruments in relation to SDGs and major international

frameworks and strategies on chemicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
I. Sustainable Development Goals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
II. SAICM and the Beyond 2020 process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

1. Synergies between ILO instruments and the SAICM
“Overarching Policy Strategy”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
2. Synergies between ILO instruments and SAICM emerging policy issues (EPIs). 64
F. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
vii
A
A. Preamble
This report analyses all major ILO instruments that address chemical hazards for human health
and safety as well as the environment. The term chemical in this sense is understood in a broad
way and generally covers all kinds of hazardous substances and mixtures, including hazards that
may sometimes be considered as “physical”, such as asbestos or nanoparticles.1 2
The analysed ILO instruments in this report include legally binding Conventions and non-binding
Recommendations as well as Codes of Practice, which are non-binding guidelines. All ILO instru-
ments are adopted in a tripartite setting by governments, worker and employer representatives.
In general, each Convention is accompanied by a Recommendation. Some are also accompanied
by one or more Codes of Practice. The Recommendations provide guidance on the implementa-
tion of the Conventions and propose further measures not covered by Conventions. The Codes
of Practice provide further practical guidance on the implementation of the Conventions and
Recommendations.
The report reviews ILO chemicals instruments as regards their content, ratification rate, imple-
mentation and highlights. The instruments are then put in the wider context of other interna-
tional instruments on chemicals such as the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS
Conventions) and the Minamata Convention on Mercury as well as current international strategic
frameworks which aim at eliminating or at least minimizing chemical hazards on a global scale.
The aim of this report is to highlight the main contributions and strategic advantages of ILO
instruments in the current global efforts to combat chemical hazards.
The report is structured in the following way: Following the Executive Summary (B), a detailed
analysis of each of the ILO instruments is provided (C); The report then addresses other interna-
tional instruments on chemicals, to examine their correlation and potential synergies with the ILO
instruments (D); In the next section, the main international strategic frameworks on chemicals,
namely the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Strategic Approach to International
Chemicals Management (SAICM), are examined in order to analyse how the ILO instruments
fit into these frameworks (E); Finally, the paper provides an overall conclusion, in which the
information from the previous parts is synthesized and the overall strategic advantages of the ILO
instruments as well as suggestions for a way forward are presented (F).
1 The definitions of “chemicals“ in the two major ILO chemical instruments, the Chemicals Convention, 1990 (No. 170) and the
Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents Convention, 1993 (No. 174), are both very broad. In Convention No. 170 a “chemical”
is defined as all “chemical elements and compounds, and mixtures thereof“ (Art. 2(a)). A hazardous chemical is further defined
as a chemical with “health or physical hazards“ (Art. 2(b) and 6(1)). The definition thus explicitly includes physical hazards such
as dust, or asbestos. Convention No. 174 does not even refer to the term “chemicals” but more broadly refers to “hazardous
substances“, which are defined as substances which, “by virtue of chemical, physical or toxicological properties“, constitute a
danger (Art. 3(a)).
2 The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, the Rotterdam
Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade and
the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
1
2
B
B. Executive Summary
This comparative analysis of the ILO legal instruments on chemicals shows that the ILO instru-
ments have a number of special characteristics that serve as key ILO contributions to the cur-
rent global strategy for eliminating chemical risks around the world. This applies both to the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals
Management (SAICM).
Characteristics of ILO instruments
I. ILO instruments have their own range of application
The ILO Conventions as well as their accompanying Recommendations have their own range
of application, which is not covered by any other international instruments on chemicals. This
concerns the entire field of occupational safety and health (OSH) and the protection of workers
against chemical risks, which is the main scope of ILO instruments and which is not substantially
addressed by any other major international instrument on chemicals. Furthermore, some of the
ILO Conventions also protect the public and the environment from chemical risks and can serve
as a gap filler in this regard, as many of the areas they cover are not covered by other international
standards. This for example concerns the protection of the general public and the environment
from asbestos, lead, hazardous pesticides or the effects of industrial accidents.
II. ILO Conventions mainly operate in the area of domestic policy
Main non-ILO international instruments on chemicals, such as the Basel and Rotterdam
Conventions,contain many procedural obligations relating to the process of importing and

exporting chemicals (e.g. the prior informed consent procedure, notification requirements, etc.)
but do not include substantive requirements regarding the use of the chemicals within each
country (e.g. on the prohibition and restriction of their use, on measures for exposure reduction,
etc.). The ILO Conventions, on the other hand, all contain extensive requirements on measures
for the prevention and mitigation of chemical hazards as well as on the development of national
policies on chemicals. They therefore operate much more in the area of domestic policy and
risk reduction within each single country and not only the area of the transboundary effects of
chemicals.
Unlike many of the non-ILO instruments, the main ILO Conventions on chemicals also do not
solely cover a specific set of chemicals listed in an Annex, but include general obligations
covering all chemical hazards. These open provisions provide for greater flexibility and facilitate
the adaptation of the Conventions to emerging chemical risks. In addition, almost all of the
ILO Conventions are supplemented by a Recommendation and many also by an extensive Code
of Practice, thereby providing detailed guidance on how the substantive requirements of ILO
Conventions can be implemented and how their objectives can be achieved.
3
III. The ILO has a strong and elaborate supervisory system
Implementation of ILO Conventions is ensured by a strong and elaborate supervisory system.

This system includes a reporting mechanism which requires governments periodically to submit
reports on the implementation of ratified Conventions. These reports are also sent to worker
and employer organizations, which can submit further observations. The reports and comments
are then reviewed by a committee of independent legal experts, the Committee of Experts on
the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR), which publishes an annual
report, examining the application of ratified Conventions. A selection of the most serious cases
is then discussed by another committee, the Committee on the Application of Standards (CAS),
which consists of representatives from governments, employers and workers. Next to the regular
reporting mechanism, the ILO Constitution also provides for two grievance procedures, in Arts.
24 and 26, under which ILO constituents can file a “representation” or “complaint” concerning
the non-compliance of any ILO Member State with an ILO Convention. The ILO Governing Body
can then decide to set up an ad hoc tripartite committee (Art. 24) or a high-level commission of
inquiry (Art. 26) to examine the case.
The fact that the implementation of ILO Conventions on chemicals is supervised by this system
presents a major advantage in several ways, as compared to other international instruments. One
advantage is that the regular supervision ensures better implementation of the ILO Conventions
and helps detect cases of non-compliance that would otherwise go unnoticed.
Another important function of the supervisory bodies is the clarification of the content of the
provisions of ILO Conventions and their application to individual cases. As many of the Conven-
tions contain broad obligations, for example to protect workers against all chemicals risks by
“appropriate means”, they require further examination to determine whether a provision has
been violated in a certain case. By determining whether a provision was violated in a specific
setting, for example because the means used were not “appropriate”, the supervisory bodies can
thus considerably increase the reach and impact of the Conventions.
IV. ILO instruments promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The ILO instruments on chemicals contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. The most relevant
SDGs in this regard are SDGs 3, 8 and 12, and especially their targets 3.9, 8.8 and 12.4.
Target 3.9 aspires to “by 2030 substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from
hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination”. As the ILO instru-
ments on chemicals ultimately aim at reducing deaths and illnesses due to chemicals, not only
for workers but also for the public, they contribute to achieving this target.
Target 8.8 aspires to “protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments
of all workers, including migrant workers, particularly women migrants, and those in precarious
employment”. All ILO instruments on chemicals are OSH instruments and therefore contribute
to achieving this target.
Target 12.4 aspires to "by 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals
and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks,
and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse
impacts on human health and the environment.” This Target is supported by all ILO instruments
and policies on chemicals, all of which aim at promoting the sound management of chemicals
throughout their life cycle.
4
Executive Summary B
Improving the application of ILO Conventions
I. Implementation
As explained above, implementation of ILO Conventions is constantly reviewed by the ILO super-
visory system. While the majority of the countries that have ratified these Conventions have
honoured all or almost all of their commitments, a few provisions of these Convention have, in
some cases, not been correctly implemented and this has been highlighted by the ILO super-
visory bodies. For example, with regard to the ILO Chemicals Convention, 1990 (No. 170) and
the Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents Convention, 1993 (No. 174), several countries have
had issues with implementing the Conventions’ obligation to notify importing countries in the
event of their exporting a chemical, use of which they have prohibited in their own country.3 In
several cases the supervisory bodies also noted insufficient implementation of national policies
on chemicals which are required by both Conventions.4
Issues have also been raised by the supervisory bodies regarding the guarantee of the rights of
workers to remove themselves from work situations presenting imminent dangers5 and to access
information on all chemicals used at their workplace6 in Convention No. 170. Regarding Conven-
tion No. 174, supervisory comments have referred to a lack of regulations, obliging employers
to ensure a documented system of major hazard control,7 to provide safety reports8 and to
notify major hazard installations to the authorities.9 Other comments referred to an insufficient
guarantee of the right of workers to be consulted on major hazard installations.10
II. Ratification rates
It is important to note that ILO Conventions have been influential worldwide even when they are
not ratified. The ILO Chemicals Convention, 1990 (No. 170) for example has had an important
influence on other major international instruments on chemicals, which were adopted after it,
such as the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and
the Rotterdam Convention. The GHS was developed as a follow-up to the adoption of Convention
No. 170. ILO OSH Conventions relevant to chemicals are also often implemented or used as
guidance tools, regardless of their ratification by a particular country. They are for example ref-
erenced in the standards of private compliance initiatives which monitor compliance with labour
standards by companies around the world.11
Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 have each been ratified by around 20 countries. In the case of
Convention No. 170, numerous countries which are important users and producers of chemicals
have ratified it (e.g. China, Germany, Italy, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, Poland and Sweden).
Convention No. 174 has also been ratified by a number of important producers and users of
chemicals (e.g. Russia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden). Further-
more, as regards Convention No. 170 reference can also be made to the GHS which incorporates
3 For the comments related to Convention No. 170 see Lebanon, Direct Request (DR), 2016, 2015 and 2010; Brazil, DR, 2008
and 2007; Burkina Faso, DR, 2016; China, DR, 2003; Tanzania, DR, 2015. For the comments related to Convention No. 174, see
Belgium, DR, 2011; India, DR, 2016; Russia, DR, 2016; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015; Ukraine, DR, 2016; and Zimbabwe, DR, 2015.
4 For the comments related to Convention No. 170 see Colombia, Observation (Obs), 2012; Lebanon, Direct Request, 2010; Mexico,
DR, 2015. For the comments related to Convention No. 174 see Bosnia and Herzegovina, DR, 2013; Brazil DR, 2016; Colombia,
Obs and DR, 2014.
5 See Colombia, Obs, 2018; Dominican Republic, DR, 2017.
6 See Mexico, DR, 2015; Tanzania, DR, 2015.
7 See Armenia, DR, 2014; Brazil, DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Russia, DR, 2016; Ukraine, DR, 2016; Zimbabwe, DR,
2015.
8 See Armenia, DR, 2014; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015; Slovenia, DR, 2015; Ukraine, DR, 2016;
Zimbabwe, DR, 2015.
9 See Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Russia, DR, 2016; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015; Zimbabwe, DR, 2015.
10 See Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Estonia, DR, 2011; India, DR, 2016; Russian Federation, DR, 2016.
11 A good example are the ILO Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155), and the Occupational Health Services
Convention, 1985 (No. 161), which both contain general provisions, covering all occupational risks and thus all chemicals related
risks. Both Conventions have been quoted in the standards on OSH of major private compliance initiatives, such as the Global
Reporting Initiative (GRI), see https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/.
5
several of the obligations contained in Convention No. 170 and which has been implemented
by many countries. While some of these countries have not ratified Convention No. 170, they
therefore nonetheless comply with several of its obligations.
The individual ratification rates of Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 have furthermore to be seen
in the context of the ratifications of the other ILO Conventions. In this regard it should be noted
that many of the ILO Conventions contain broad obligations covering many different OSH hazards
and therefore overlap. This is for example the case with general ILO OSH Conventions, such as
the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155), the Promotional Framework
for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187) and the Occupational Health
Services Convention, 1985 (No. 161). These three Conventions all have a general scope covering
all occupational risks and thus all chemicals risks.
When the ratification rates for Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 are combined with the ratifications
of the last-mentioned Conventions, the number of ratifications totals 98. This means that 98
countries have ratified at least one of the above mentioned Conventions and have committed
themselves to adopting measures against all chemical risks at work. This total is much higher
than the individual ratification rates for each of the Conventions and therefore places the rele-
vance of the ILO regulatory framework on chemicals in a different perspective.
It can thus be concluded that ILO Conventions, as well as their accompanying Recommendations
and Codes of Practice, have been highly influential regardless of the ratification rates of the
Conventions. Furthermore, even though some of these Conventions have not been ratified by all
ILO member States, in combination the chemicals-related ILO Conventions have in fact received
a large number of ratifications. The ILO regulatory framework on chemicals as a whole thus has
an extensive reach and influence, both qualitatively and quantitatively. As a way forward, the ILO
should nevertheless continue to promote the ratification of its chemicals related Conventions, to
further increase their impact, in particular Conventions Nos. 170 and 174.12
12 A decision in this regard has recently been taken by the ILO Governing Body, see the document GB.331/LILS/2, available at
https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_587514.pdf.
6
Executive Summary B
7
8
C
C. Analysis of ILO instruments
on Chemicals
I. ILO instruments on chemical risks at work
The Chemicals Convention, 1990 (No. 170) and Chemicals Recommendation, 1990 (No. 177),
are the main ILO instruments addressing hazards relating to chemicals. They are both general
in scope and concern all risks relating to chemicals. Convention No. 170 provides for a com-
prehensive national framework for the safe use of chemicals at work, including the formulation,
implementation and periodic review of a coherent national policy. The instruments also provide
for the responsibility of employers and for the duties and rights of workers at the level of the
undertaking, as well as specific responsibilities of suppliers and exporting states. Instead of
prohibiting the use of certain substances, the instruments prioritize prevention and only allow
protective measures as a last resort if risks cannot be prevented, eliminated or minimized. Both
instruments were classified as up-to-date instruments by the ILO Standard Review Mechanism
Technical Working Group (SRM TWG) in 2017.13
Convention No. 170 and Recommendation No. 177 are supplemented by the ILO Code of Prac-
tice on safety in the use of chemicals at work, of 1993,14 which provides practical guidance
on the implementation of both instruments. It contains guidelines for the framing of provisions
relating to the use of chemicals at work and guidance to employers, workers, suppliers and
emergency services.
1. Chemicals Convention, 1990 (No. 170)
a. Ratifications
Convention No. 170 so far has received 22 ratifications. By far the largest number of ratifications
are from Europe and Central Asia (10), followed by the Americas (4), Africa (4) and Asia and the
Pacific (4). The Convention regularly receives new ratifications, the latest being Côte d'Ivoire in
November 2019.
b. Implementation15
The CEACR has regularly examined the application of Convention No. 170 by ratifying States.
There are currently 16 pending comments on the Convention, concerning 16 different States.
One representation was made in 2009 under Art. 24 of the ILO Constitution by workers’
organizations, alleging non-compliance by Mexico with Convention No. 170. The CAS has so far
not discussed a case on Convention No. 170. There also have been no complaints under under
Art. 26 of the ILO Constitution.
13 See https://www.ilo.org/gb/GBSessions/previous-sessions/GB331/lils/WCMS_587514/lang--en/index.htm
14 See https://www.ilo.org/safework/info/standards-and-instruments/codes/WCMS_107823/lang--en/index.htm
15 The supervisory comments analysed in this section as well as the following sections on the other ILO Conventions cover both issues
which are still pending as well as issues which have already been resolved. The issues which have already been resolved are also
important for this analysis as they point to general trends. They show which provisions in the Conventions face implementation
issues more frequently than others and what kinds of implementation issues occur in general.
9
The major recurrent issues raised by the supervisory bodies are:

• lack of application of the Convention to certain branches of economic activity, e.g. a lack of
coverage of informal workers (Arts. 1 and 2) (Colombia, Observation (Obs),16 2012)17 or to
certain risks, e.g. methane in mining (art. 24 Representation, Mexico, 2009)
• lack of implementation of a national policy on the use of chemicals at work in consultation
with employers and workers (Arts. 3 and 4) (Colombia, Obs, 2012; Lebanon, Direct Request
(DR), 2010; Mexico, DR, 2015)
• lack of maintenance of records of hazardous chemicals used at the workplace, including the
accessibility of this information to workers and their representatives (Art. 10) (Mexico, DR,
2015; Tanzania, DR, 2015)
• lack of full implementation of the right of workers to remove themselves in the event of an
imminent danger (Art. 18) (Colombia, Obs, 2018; Dominican Republic, DR, 2017)
• lack of compliance with the requirement of States exporting chemicals, the use of which
they prohibit, to notify the importing country of their own prohibition and the chemical’s
dangers (Art. 19) (Lebanon, DR, 2016, 2015 and 2010; Brazil, DR, 2008 and 2007;
Burkina Faso, DR, 2016; China, DR, 2003; Tanzania, DR, 2015)
• requests for information on compliance with the Convention in practice, including the role of
labour inspection (Brazil, Obs, 2012; Burkina Faso, DR, 2016; Korea, DR, 2015; Lebanon,
DR, 2010)
The following sections give a more detailed overview of each of the provisions of Convention
No. 170, coupled with information on their implementation.
i. Part I: Scope and Definitions

Arts. 1 and 2: The Convention applies to all branches of economic activity and covers the
production, handling, storage, transport, disposal and release of chemicals. It allows ratifying
States to exclude certain branches of economic activity, which however has so far only rarely
been used. The Convention applies to all chemical substances except for organisms and products
which will not expose workers to a hazardous chemical under normal use.
Supervisory comments: There have not been many comments on Part I. Issues highlighted by the
CEACR and art. 24 Committees mostly relate to a lack of protection of some types of workers,
e.g. agricultural workers in the informal sector (Colombia, Obs, 2011 and 2012) or an exclusion of
certain types of risk (e.g. methane gas in mining) (Mexico, art. 24 representation, 2009).
ii. Part II: General principles

Art. 3, Consultation: Social partners must be consulted on all measures to implement the Con-
vention.
Art. 4, National Policy: Each ratifying State must, in consultation with the social partners, for-
mulate, implement and periodically review a coherent policy on safety in the use of chemicals
at work.
16 The CEACR issues to types of comments. “Observations” (Obs), in which it highlights shortcomings in the implementation of a Con-
vention, as well as “Direct Requests” (DR), through which it requests further information on a certain aspect from a government.
17 The case on Colombia concerned informal workers in agricultural enterprises.
10
Analysis of ILO instruments on Chemicals C
Art. 5, Prohibition and Restriction: Competent authorities must have the power to prohibit or
restrict hazardous chemicals or require authorization for their use.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to Part II mostly refer to Arts. 4 and
5. For Art. 4 they are mostly related to shortcomings in the establishment of the national policy,
e.g. with regard to the involvement of social partners (Lebanon, DR, 2010; Colombia, Obs, 2012),
but also the lack of a national policy specifically directed at chemical safety at work (Mexico,
DR, 2015) or the lack of sufficient coverage of certain types of risk, such as occupational cancer
(Colombia, Obs, 2012). They also refer to a lack of implementation of elements of the policy (e.g.
the evaluation and authorization of chemicals) owing to the inadequate resources of implementing
authorities (e.g. Norway, Obs, 2010 and 2005).
Comments on Art. 5 refer to delays in the adoption of lists of restricted chemicals (China, DR,
2019, 2010 and 2006).
iii. Part III: Classification and related measures

Art. 6, Classification: Competent bodies must establish systems and specific criteria appropriate
for the classification of all chemicals, and mixtures of chemicals, according to the type and
degree of their hazards, taking into account the UN Recommendations on the transport of dan-
gerous goods. The classification system must be progressively extended.
Arts. 7 and 8, Labels and and Safety Data Sheets (SDS): Chemicals must be labelled. The label-
ling of hazardous chemicals must clearly explain their hazards. Employers must be provided with
SDS for hazardous chemicals. The format and content of labels and SDS must be prescribed by
the competent body.
Art. 9, Suppliers: Chemical suppliers must ensure that the requirements of Arts. 6-8 are met for
the chemicals they supply.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR on Part III as a whole concern the failure to
adopt regulations on classification, labels and SDS for non-hazardous chemicals (Sweden, DR,
2005, 1998). Otherwise comments mostly refer to Art. 6, as well as to Arts. 7 and 9.
Comments on Art. 6 refer to the failure to take into account all relevant risks in the classification
system, e.g. risks to the environment (China, DR, 2003 and 2006), or the failure to extend the
classification to all relevant chemicals (Zimbabwe, Obs, 2011, 2010 and 2007). They also concern
the failure to align the national classification with binding international classification systems
(such as the EU REACH system – Norway, Obs, 2010) or the failure to take into account the UN
Recommendation on transport (Tanzania, DR, 2007).
Comments on Art. 7 relate to the failure to provide labels in a language and format understandable
to the workers (Zimbabwe, DR, 2003).
Comments on Art. 9 refer to shortcomings in the laws obliging all suppliers to comply, such as
legal loopholes (e.g. Korea, DR, 2015)18, as well as shortcomings in the implementation of such
laws (e.g. Norway, DR, 2003 and 2001 and Obs, 1999).
18 In the case in question, employers used laws on the protection of business secrets, to limit the information they provided on SDS.
11
iv. Part IV: Responsibilities of employers

Art. 10, Identification: Employers must ensure that all chemicals are properly labelled and have
SDS and that only chemicals for which a classification, labelling and SDS have been prescribed
by the authority are used. In the event that they receive unlabelled chemicals and chemicals
without SDS, employers must obtain the relevant information from the suppliers before using
the substances. Employers must also maintain an open register of all hazardous chemicals in
use, cross-referenced with the SDS. They must furthermore ensure that chemicals are used in
accordance with the prescribed safety precautions.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to Art. 10 refer to a failure to require
employers to obtain information on unlabelled chemicals (Tanzania, DR, 2015 and 2011) or to
use only classified chemicals and to maintain a register of chemicals used (Mexico, DR, 2015
and 2010).
Art. 11, Transfer of Chemicals: Employers must ensure appropriate labelling when chemicals are
transferred to different containers.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to Art. 11 refer to a lack of compliance
of employers with the relabelling obligation (Poland, Obs, 2010).
Art. 12, Exposure: Employers must assess, monitor and record the exposure of workers to haz-
ardous chemicals and ensure that exposure limits are not exceeded.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to Art. 12 refer to the failure to oblige
employers to keep exposure records for sufficient periods of time (Germany, DR, 2018, 2011
and 2010; Sweden, DR, 2005, 2003 and 1998; Finland, DR, 2019).19 They also relate to high
numbers of employers not complying with the laws implementing the Article (Poland, Obs, 2010;
Brazil, Obs, 2012, 2010 and 2008).
Art. 13, Operational Control: Employers must assess chemicals’ risks and appropriately protect
workers by their choices of chemicals, technology, control measures, working systems, working
practices, hygiene measures and, if the foregoing are insufficient, must provide personal protec-
tive equipment to workers free of charge.
Employers also must limit the exposure of workers to hazardous chemicals to a safe level and
arrange for handling of emergencies and provision of first aid.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to Art. 13 refer to insufficient enforce-
ment of the obligations of employers and a resultant reluctance of employers to comply with
assessment and protection obligations (Colombia, Obs, 2012 and 2011; Brazil, Obs, 2012, 2010
and 2008; Poland, Obs, 2010). Other comments refer to the absence of legal obligations to
provide and maintain personal protective equipment free of charge (Tanzania, DR, 2015) and
the absence of obligations to provide all workers exposed to chemicals with personal protective
equipment, not only those involved in hazardous activities (Tanzania, DR, 2011).
19 In the case concerning Germany, the law required a period of 40 years to keep records on workers carrying out activities with
hazardous substances. However, the law did not prescribe any minimum time for the keeping of records on risk assessments. In
the cases of Sweden and Finland, the CEACR noted that there existed no laws prescribing any minimum periods for the keeping of
records (except for records on carcinogens in the case of Sweden).
12
Art. 14, Disposal: Employers must ensure disposal of chemicals which minimizes the risk to
workers and the environment, in accordance with national law.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to Art. 14 refer to a lack of compliance
of employers with laws requiring the safe storage and disposal of waste containers for used
chemicals (Poland, Obs, 2010).
Art. 15, Information and Training: Employers must inform workers of chemical hazards to which
they are exposed, instruct them on how to obtain and use the information on the label and SDS,
develop safety instructions based on the SDS and train the workers on safety procedures on a
continuing basis.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to Art. 15 relate to insufficient enforce-
ment of the requirements for employers to train and instruct workers (Brazil, Obs, 2012, 2010
and 2008; China, DR, 2011; Colombia, Obs, 2011; Poland, Obs, 2010). Comments also relate
to insufficient obligations in national law to provide training and instruction (China, DR, 2019;
Zimbabwe, DR, 2006), including a lack of legal obligations to train workers on SDS and labelling
(Tanzania, DR, 2015).
Art. 16, Cooperation: Employers must cooperate with workers and their representatives as closely
as possible in discharging their responsibilities.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to Art. 16 refer to shortcomings in

regulations requiring joint OSH committees in enterprises, such as a lack of coverage of small
enterprises (Burkina Faso, DR, 2016).
v. Part V: Duties of workers

Art. 17: Workers must comply with chemical safety instructions of employers and must cooperate
as closely as possible with employers in the discharge of their responsibilities. They themselves
must take all reasonable steps to eliminate or minimize chemical risks.
Supervisory comments: The CEACR has not commented substantively on this Part.
vi. Part VI: Rights of workers and their representatives

Art. 18: Workers have the right to remove themselves from work situations presenting an immi-
nent danger or serious risk, without undue consequences.
Workers also have the right to information and training on the chemicals used and their labels and
SDS. Employers can however conceal information on chemicals, in accordance with regulations
issued by the competent authority, if disclosure of information on the chemical to a competitor
could cause economic harm.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to Part VI mostly refer to the absence
of specific provisions establishing the right of workers to remove themselves from dangerous
situations without undue consequences (Colombia, Obs, 2018; Dominican Republic, DR, 2017;
Lebanon, DR, 2016 and 2010; Mexico, DR, 2015 and 2010).
13
vii. Part VII Responsibility of exporting States

Art. 19: If parties export chemicals which are prohibited in their country for OSH reasons, they
must communicate this information, and the reasons for the prohibition, to any importing country.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to Art. 19 mostly refer to a lack of reg-
ulations to implement this obligation or a lack of information provided in the government’s report
on the existence such regulations (e.g. Lebanon, DR, 2016, 2015 and 2010; Brazil, DR, 2008
and 2007; Burkina Faso, DR, 2016; China, DR, 2003; Tanzania, DR, 2015). Some countries
have implemented Art. 19 by requiring exporting companies to directly provide the information to
importers, e.g. through SDS, in which case the CEACR asked for information ensuring that the
information provided by the companies was sufficient and covered all the information required by
Art. 19 (Korea, DR, 2015).
2. Chemicals Recommendation, 1990 (No. 177)
The Chemicals Recommendation No. 177 provides guidance on the implementation of the provi-
sions of Convention No. 170 and proposes a number of more advanced measures which go beyond
the obligations of the Convention. The Recommendation contains inter alia detailed provisions
on the classification, labelling and marking of chemicals and the preparation of chemical SDS. It
also lists additional information on the responsibilities of employers and on the rights of workers.
3. Code of Practice: Safety in the use of chemicals at work
The Code to a great extent follows the structure of Convention No. 170 and provides guidance
on the implementation of all its provisions. It contains a section on general provisions (1), which
defines the Code’s objectives and scope, corresponding to the scope and definitions of Conven-
tion No. 170. The second part is on general obligations (2) and defines general obligations for
authorities, employers, workers and suppliers, which further elaborate the general obligations
defined in Convention No. 170. It also details the rights of workers and obligations relating to
cooperation between workers and employers and further elaborates the treatment of confidential
information.
The subsequent parts of the code provide extensive information on classification systems for
chemicals (3), labelling and marking of chemicals (4) and SDS (5). The guidelines contained in
this part reflect both the obligations in Convention No. 170, but also the general requirements of
the GHS (see below under D.V.).
The following parts of the Code give guidance on the duties of employers under Convention
No. 170 with regard to operational control measures (6), the design and installation of work-
spaces (7), work systems and practices (8), personal protection (9), information and training
(10), maintenance of engineering control measures (11), monitoring in the workplace (12), med-
ical and health surveillance (13), emergency procedures and first aid (14) and investigation and
reporting of accidents, occupational diseases and other incidents (15).
14
4. Highlights of Convention No. 170 and its Recommendation
The obligations in Convention No. 170 are not limited to a specific list of hazardous chemicals,
but generally refer to chemical substances as well as all kinds of chemical mixtures. Convention
No. 170 can thus be used to address chemical hazards which are discovered following its adop-
tion.
The GHS (see below under D.V.) was developed as a follow-up to the adoption of Convention
No. 170. The Convention is in line with the GHS, as it requires ratifying States to implement all
the components of the GHS, namely a classification system for all chemicals, requirements on
appropriate labelling of chemicals, and the availability of SDS for workers and the training and
education of workers on chemical risks. The CEACR has noted that many parties to Convention
No. 170 have implemented the Convention by adhering to the GHS (see e.g. China, DR, 2019;
Brazil, DR, 2007; Mexico, DR, 2010; Tanzania, DR, 2015; Italy, DR, 2007). The GHS itself is
very relevant for SAICM as its implementation is inter alia referenced as a “main objective” in
SAICM’s “overarching policy framework”. The GHS has been implemented by many chemical
producing and using countries.
Another advantage of the requirements on classification and labelling in Convention No. 170 is
that they not only apply to workplaces but also are general requirements for all chemicals used in
a country (see Arts. 6 and 7). In this regard Convention No. 170 goes beyond the scope of OSH
and also functions as a general instrument on chemicals. Another provision of Convention No.
170, which is not limited to OSH, is the obligation on sound disposal of chemical waste (Art. 14),
which protects workers, but also the environment and the general public.
5. Promoting the global application of Convention No. 170 and its

Recommendation
Feedback on the implementation of some provisions of the Convention: In response to a 2003

ILO survey, many member States indicated that the obligation of exporting States in Art. 19
of Convention No. 170 to communicate information to importing States on whether chemicals
are prohibited for safety and health reasons in the country of origin has created difficulties in
practice, as the responsibility fell on the State rather than on the exporting enterprise.20
This issue is also apparent when comparing Convention No. 170 with the Rotterdam Convention.
In principle the Rotterdam Convention, in its Art. 12, contains a similar notification requirement.
However, the provision is more flexible and therefore easier to implement. While Art. 19 of
Convention No. 170 requires a notification for each export,21 Art. 12(2) of the Rotterdam Con-
vention only requires one initial notification to each importing State and then a renewal of this
notification for each year the prohibition applies and the imports continue. Second, the Article
also allows importing States to waive the notification requirement, which provides for even more
flexibility, for example in cases where a notification is not necessary as the importing country is
already fully informed on the prohibition and on the chemical’s risks.
20 See http://www.ilo.org/global/standards/international-labour-standards-policy/WCMS_569991/lang--en/index.htm, p. 11.

21 It should be noted that the wording of Art. 19 of Convention No. 170 is not totally clear on this issue and that it could also be
understood to require only one notification for each importing country, not one for each export. The CEACR has however so far not
clarified this issue by explicitly reading the Article in the latter sense.
15
II. ILO instruments on major industrial accidents
The Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents Convention, 1993 (No. 174) and its accompanying
Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents Recommendation, 1993 (No. 181) provide for precau-
tionary measures to avoid or minimize the consequences of industrial disasters due to chemicals
and other hazardous substances.
The purpose of Convention No. 174 is twofold: prevention of major accidents involving hazardous
substances, and limitation of the consequences of such accidents. The Convention provides for
the development of a “coherent national policy concerning the protection of workers, the public
and the environment” and measures involving central and local government, employers and
workers and bodies such as the police, fire and medical authorities concerned with emergency
planning. Recommendation No. 181 supplements the provisions of Convention No 174, including
the international exchange of information.
Both instruments were classified as up-to-date instruments by the ILO SRM TWG in 2017.22
They are supplemented by the ILO Code of Practice: Major Industrial Accidents of 1991.23
1. Major Industrial Accidents Convention, 1993 (No. 174)
a. Ratifications
Convention No. 174 so far has received 18 ratifications. By far the most ratifications are from
Europe and Central Asia (12), followed by the Americas (2) and the Arab States (2). Africa and
Asia & the Pacific only have one ratification each.
b. Implementation
Currently, there are 14 pending comments by the CEACR in relation to the application of Conven-
tion No. 174, relating to 14 different ratifying member States. A member State’s implementation
of Convention No. 174 has not yet been a discussed by the CAS and there also have been no
article 24 or Art. 26 procedures related to it. The following main themes recur regarding the
implementation of the Convention:
• lack of implementation of the obligation of exporting States to provide information to

importing States on the prohibition of the use of hazardous substances, technologies or
processes as a potential source of a major accident (Art. 22) (Belgium, DR, 2011; India,
DR, 2016; Russia, DR, 2016; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015; Ukraine, DR, 2016; and Zimbabwe,
DR, 2015)
• insufficient formulation, implementation and review of a national policy on major industrial
accidents (Art. 4) (Bosnia and Herzegovina, DR, 2013; Brazil DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs and
DR, 2014)
• insufficient systems for the identification of major hazard installations (Art. 5) (Brazil, DR,
2016; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Estonia, DR, 2011; Russia, DR, 2016; Saudi Arabia,
DR, 2015)
22 See https://www.ilo.org/gb/GBSessions/previous-sessions/GB331/lils/WCMS_587514/lang--en/index.htm.
23 See https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/safety-and-health-at-work/normative-instruments/code-of-practice/WCMS_107829/
lang--en/index.htm.
16
• lack of regulations guaranteeing the protection of confidential information (Art. 6) (Brazil,
DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Estonia, DR, 2011)
• lack of employer responsibilities to ensure a documented system of major hazard control
(Art. 9) (Armenia, DR, 2014; Brazil, DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Russia, DR,
2016; Ukraine, DR, 2016; Zimbabwe, DR, 2015); to provide safety reports (Arts. 10, 11 and
12) (Armenia, DR, 2014; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015; Slovenia,
DR, 2015; Ukraine, DR, 2016; Zimbabwe, DR, 2015); and to notify major hazard installa-
tions (Art. 8) (Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Russia, DR, 2016; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015;
Zimbabwe, DR, 2015)
• insufficient responsibilities of competent authorities in relation to off-site emergency
preparedness (Arts. 15 and 16) (Netherlands, DR, 2015; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015) and siting
policies (Art. 17) (Brazil, DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014) and
• lack of a guarantee of the rights of workers and their representatives under the Convention,
such as the right to be consulted (Arts. 20 and 21) (Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Estonia,
DR, 2011; India, DR, 2016; Russian Federation, DR, 2016)
i. Part I: Scope and definitions

Arts. 1 and 3: The Convention applies to all installations which handle, dispose of or store any
hazardous substance in quantities which exceed a threshold, excluding nuclear and military
installations and the transport of hazardous substances outside the site of an installation other
than by pipeline. Member States can, after consultation of stakeholders and social partners,
exclude certain types of installation or branches of economic activity for which equivalent pro-
tection is provided.
Art. 2: In the event that a member State is, owing to special problems, unable to implement
all safety measures under the Convention immediately, it must draw up and implement, in
consultation with social partners and stakeholders, a plan for the Convention’s progressive imple-
mentation.
Supervisory comments: CEACR comments on Part I mostly relate to the scope set by Arts. 1 and
3. They concern the lack of coverage of certain branches of industrial activity (Saudi Arabia, DR,
2015).24
ii. Part II: General principles

Art. 4: Each member State must, in consultation with social partners and other affected parties,
formulate, implement and periodically review a national policy on the protection of workers, the
public and the environment from major accidents. The policy shall be implemented through
preventative and protective measures and shall, where practicable, promote the best available
technologies.
Supervisory comments: CEACR comments on Art. 4 inter alia relate to the total lack of the formu-
lation of a policy (Bosnia and Herzegovina, DR, 2013) or the lack of a specific policy on industrial
accidents, apart from general OSH policies (Brazil DR, 2016) or general disaster policies (Ukraine,
DR, 2016). They also concern incomplete policies, e.g. only addressing risks to workers, not to
24 In the case on Saudi Arabia, the government provided legislation covering the oil, petrochemical, chemical manufacturing, elec-
tricity, water, gas, mining, metal manufacturing, civil explosives, industrial services, communication and port industries. It did
however not indicate whether there existed other industries with major hazard installations in the country and whether there existed
laws covering such other industries.
17
the public or the environment (Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014), or a lack of consultation with
social partners during the policy’s formulation (Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015). Comments also refer to
insufficient measures to implement the policy (India, DR, 2016).
Art. 5: The competent body must, in consultation with social partners and stakeholders, estab-
lish and regularly review and update a system for the identification of major hazard installations.
Supervisory comments: Many CEACR comments on Art. 5 refer to several cases of a total lack
of a system to identify installations (Brazil, DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Estonia,
DR, 2011; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015; Zimbabwe, DR, 2015). Other comments relate to insufficient
consultation of social partners during the system’s implementation (Russia, DR, 2016; Ukraine,
DR, 2016) as well as a lack of review and updating of the system (Ukraine, DR, 2016).
Art. 6: Special provision for the protection of confidential data transmitted in accordance with
the Convention (Arts. 8, 12, 13, 14) must be made.
Supervisory comments: CEACR comments on Art. 6 relate to the lack of sufficient regulations
guaranteeing the protection of confidential information transmitted by enterprises to the authori-
ties (such as the notification of major hazard installations and accidents and the sending of safety
reports) (Brazil, DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Ukraine, DR, 2016).
iii. Part III: Responsibilities of employers

Art. 7, identification: Employers must identify major hazard installations in their enterprises, in
accordance with the system under Art. 5.
Supervisory comments: There are not many comments from the CEACR on Art. 7. In a few cases,
however, the Committee noted a failure of the government to indicate measures it had adopted to
implement the Art. (Brazil DR, 2012; Russia, DR, 2016; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2011).
Art. 8, Notification: Employers must notify the competent authority of every major hazard instal-
lation they have identified, prior to putting it into operation. They must also notify the closure of
any installation.
Supervisory comments: In a few cases the CEACR noted a failure of the government to name
measures it adopted to implement the notification requirement in general (Brazil, DR, 2007) or
concerning some types of installation (Zimbabwe, DR, 2015).25 Other comments also concerned
the absence of regulations prescribing the notification of an installation’s closure (Slovenia, DR,
2014) or a fixed time-frame for the notification of the closure (Russia, DR, 2012).
Art. 9, Arrangements at the Installation: For every major hazard installation employers must
create a hazard control system which covers risk assessment and the identification and analysis
of hazards, technical safety measures and organizational safety measures (training, instruction,
safety equipment, control of staffing levels and working hours, definition of responsibilities of,
and controls on, outside contractors and temporary workers) as well as emergency plans and
procedures and measures to limit the consequences of a major accident.
The system must also include procedures for the recording of information on accidents and
nearmisses and their analysis. Lessons learned must be recorded and discussed with workers.
25 In the case on Zimbabwe, the government only provided regulations covering factories but no other types of installation.
18
Supervisory comments: In a few cases the Committee noted a total failure to adopt measures to
implement Art. 9 (Brazil DR, 2012). It also noted inadequate implementation, e.g. through regula-
tions which only prescribe a few general requirements for the hazard control system, but which do
not address all the specific requirements listed in the Article (Colombia, DR, 2014; Ukraine, DR,
2014 and 2016; Russia, DR, 2016; Brazil. DR, 2016; Zimbabwe, DR, 2015).
Some comments also refer to the consultation requirements, noting a failure to adopt specific
regulations on consultations with workers on the control system, aside from general consultation
requirements (Finland, DR, 2019).
Arts. 10, 11, and 12, Safety Report: Employers must prepare a safety report based on the
requirements of Art. 9 before putting into operation a major hazard installation. The report must
be reviewed and updated in the event of significant modification of the installation or if the review
becomes necessary owing to technological changes or a new hazard assessment. Otherwise it
must be updated at intervals prescribed by law and at the request of the authorities.
The safety report must be made available to the competent authority.
Supervisory comments: Some comments of the CEACR on the safety report obligations note a
complete failure to implement these requirements (Brazil, DR, 2012; Colombia, Obs, 2014).26
Other comments refer to shortcomings in the content of safety reports, e.g. incomplete implemen-
tation of the obligation to report on all requirements listed in Art. 9 (Armenia, DR, 2018; Ukraine,
DR, 2016).
Further comments note that the national legislation does not prescribe time limits for the prepa-
ration of the safety reports in accordance with the Convention (Netherlands, DR, 2010) or does
not require an update of the report under all the conditions listed in the Convention (Armenia, DR,
2018; Colombia, DR, 2018; Slovenia, DR, 2015).
Some comments of the CEACR also refer to a lack of enforcement of regulations on safety reports,
resulting in many employers failing to respect the requirements (Zimbabwe, DR, 2015).
Arts. 13 and 14, Accident Reporting: Employers must inform competent authorities as soon as a
major accident occurs. They must, within a fixed time frame, present to the competent authority
a detailed report, including an analysis of the causes and consequences of the accident, the
measures taken to mitigate it and recommendations to prevent recurrences.
Supervisory comments: The CEACR did not make many comments on Arts. 13 and 14. A few
comments, however, note a complete failure to implement these Articles (Brazil, DR, 2012; Saudi
Arabia, DR, 2015; Colombia, DR, 2018 and 2014).27 Other comments note incomplete implemen-
tation, e.g. with regard to notifying the accident without delay (Russia, DR, 2012) or an exclusion
of certain economic sectors (e.g. all sectors except for mining) from the notification requirement
(Ukraine, DR, 2014).
26 In the case of Brazil, the implementation failed due to a lack of tripartite consensus on the implementation measures. In the case
of Colombia, the reasons were not clear enough for the CEACR.
27 See the previous footnote. In the case of Saudi Arabia, the reasons for the implementation failure were also unclear.
19
iv. Part IV: responsibilities of competent authorities

Arts. 15 and 16, Off-site Emergency Preparedness: Authorities must establish and update
emergency plans for the protection of the public and the environment outside each installation,
taking into account the information provided by employers. Authorities must also ensure that
information on safety measures and correct behaviour during accidents is disseminated to the
concerned public, that warning of accidents is given as soon as possible and, in the event of
transboundary consequences, that neighbouring States are informed.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR on off-site emergency requirements note a gen-
eral lack of requirements on the establishment of emergency plans (Zimbabwe, DR, 2015) or at
least a lack of regulations requiring a regular review and update of these plans (Russia, DR, 2016).
Other comments refer to a lack of regulations requiring authorities to inform the public on safety
measures and emergency plans (Netherlands, DR, 2015; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015; Zimbabwe, DR,
2015) or to issue warnings and to inform neighbouring States (Russia, DR, 2016).
Art. 17, Siting of Major Hazard Installations: Authorities must establish a comprehensive policy
to distance installations from residential areas and public facilities.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR on siting requirements refer to a lack of specific
provisions to regulate the siting of major hazard installations (Netherlands, DR, 2015; Russia, DR,
2016; Brazil, DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014).
Arts. 18 and 19, Inspection: Authorities must have competent staff to inspect installations and
assess and advise on matters relevant to the Convention. Workers’ and employer’s representa-
tives have the right to accompany inspectors, unless this is prejudicial to the inspector’s duties.
Authorities must have the right to suspend operations posing an imminent danger.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR on inspection requirements refer to practical

difficulties of inspection services in fulfilling their duties, mostly related to insufficient resources
(Colombia, DR, 2018). They also indicate the lack of explicit provisions allowing worker and
employer representatives to accompany inspectors (Russia, DR, 2016; Ukraine, DR, 2016 and
2014).
Comments on the right to suspend operations in Art. 19 have inter alia referred to a lack of
regulations giving effect to this provision (Russia, DR, 2016).
v. Part V: Rights and duties of workers and their representatives

Art. 20, Rights of Workers: In order to ensure a safe work system, workers and their representa-
tives must be consulted through cooperative mechanisms. They must in particular be consulted
on the preparation of safety reports, emergency plans and accident reports.
Workers and their representatives must also be informed on the hazards of all installations and
on any safety instructions from the authorities. They must be regularly instructed and trained in
practices and procedures for the prevention of major accidents.
Workers also must have the right to take corrective action and, if necessary, remove themselves
from imminent danger of a major industrial accident, without undue consequences. They must
furthermore be allowed to discuss with their employer any hazards they consider capable of
generating major accidents and to notify such hazards to the authorities.
20
Art. 21, Duties of Workers: Workers at major hazard installations must comply with all safety and
emergency procedures related to the installation.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to Part V mostly refer to Art. 20. They
inter alia refer to shortcomings in guaranteeing some workers’ rights, such as the lack of specific
regulations on workers’ rights relating to industrial accidents, apart from general provisions on
workers’ rights (Zimbabwe, DR, 2015; s, Obs and DR, 2014; Estonia, DR, 2011), the absence of
guarantees of some of the rights under Art. 20, such as the right to be informed, consulted and
to discuss and notify hazards (Russian Federation, DR, 2016; Ukraine, DR, 2016) or the failure to
extend workers’ rights to their representatives (Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015).
Other comments also note the absence of concrete regulations giving workers the right to correc-
tive action in the event of imminent danger, without undue consequences (India, DR, 2016).
vi. Part VI: Responsibility of Exporting States

Art. 22: Member States exporting hazardous substances, technologies or processes which they
have prohibited as potential sources of major industrial accidents must inform importing coun-
tries of the prohibition and the reasons for it.
Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR on Art. 22 relate to either a complete a lack
of implementation of the obligation (India, DR, 2016; Russia, DR, 2016; Ukraine, DR, 2016;
Zimbabwe, DR, 2015), or shortcomings such as the absence of legal requirements obliging the
government to provide the information (Belgium, DR, 2011) or also the failure to require notifica-
tion in the event of an export of relevant technologies and processes (Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015).
2. Major Industrial Accidents Recommendation, 1993 (No. 181)
Recommendation No. 181 provides guidance on the implementation of some of the provisions of
Convention No. 174 and proposes more advanced measures which go beyond the obligations in
the Convention.
The Recommendation describes inter alia a system for an intergovernmental exchange of informa-
tion on major industrial accidents, urges multinational enterprises to develop common prevention
measures for all their undertakings and calls for the establishment of compensation schemes
for workers harmed by industrial accidents. It also provides guidance on the implementation of
national policies on major industrial accidents.
3. Code of Practice: Major Industrial Accidents
The ILO Code of Practice: Major Industrial Accidents was adopted in 1991 prior to the adoption
of Convention No. 174 and Recommendation No. 181.28 It can be used as a guidance tool for
the implementation of the Convention and Recommendation. The Code is aimed at providing
guidance for setting up an administrative, legal and technical system for the control of major
hazard installations. In so doing it seeks inter alia to protect workers, the public and the envi-
ronment by preventing major accidents from occurring at these installations and minimizing the
28 The historic reason for the adoption of the Code of Practice prior to the adoption of the Convention can be seen in the fact that,
owing to a number of dramatic industrial accidents in the 1980s, the adoption of measures for the prevention of such accidents
rose on the international agenda and was therefore handled by the ILO. At the outset, however, ILO constituents were unable to
decide on the adoption of a binding Convention. However they agreed on the need for some measure and therefore agreed on the
convening of a meeting of technical experts to draft a Code of Practice as a guidance document. A few years later the necessary
consensus for adoption of a binding instrument was attained and Convention No. 174 and Recommendation No. 181 were drafted
and adopted.
21
consequences of a major accident either on- or off-site, for example by proposing an appropriate
separation of major hazard installations and housing as well as other nearby centres of popula-
tion, such as hospitals, schools and shops. It also provides guidance on appropriate emergency
planning.
4. Highlights of Convention No. 174 and its Recommendation
Like Convention No. 170, Convention No. 174 also generally applies to all hazardous substances
which can cause major industrial accidents, and not just a fixed list of chemicals, and is thereby
much more flexible as regards extending coverage to emerging chemical hazards.
Convention No. 174 also not only protects workers but also the public and the environment from
hazards due to major industrial accidents.
5. Promoting the global application of Convention No. 174 and its

Recommendation
Feedback on the implementation of some provisions of the Convention: In response to a 2003

ILO survey, many member States indicated that the obligation of exporting States, as set out
in Art. 19 of Convention No. 170, to communicate information to importing States on whether
chemicals are prohibited for safety and health reasons in the country of origin, created difficul-
ties in practice, as the responsibility fell on the State rather than on the exporting enterprise.29
Relevant ILO instruments addressing

III.
the fundamental principles of OSH
The main ILO Conventions addressing the fundamental principles of OSH are the Occupational
Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155), and its Protocol of 2002, the Occupational
Health Services Convention, 1985 (No. 161) and the Promotional Framework for Occupational
Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187). This section, however, only analyses Convention
No. 155 and its supplementary Recommendation No. 164 as, of the three Conventions, it is the
one with the most supervisory comments related to chemical risks.30
Convention No. 155 and Recommendation No. 164 are general OSH instruments of the ILO,
directed at all risks to which workers can be exposed. They thus also cover all hazards related
to chemicals. They are both up-to-date ILO instruments, in line with the modern regulatory
approach of the ILO on OSH.
29 See http://www.ilo.org/global/standards/international-labour-standards-policy/WCMS_569991/lang--en/index.htm, p. 11.

30 Convention No. 161 was analysed, but due to the lack of chemicals related supervisory comments on the implementation of the
Convention, it was not included, given the length of the report.
22
1. Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155)
a. Ratifications
Convention No. 155 has so far been ratified by 69 States, making it one of the most ratified ILO
Conventions on OSH.
b. Implementation
As mentioned above, Convention No. 155 generally applies to all hazards to which workers are
exposed and prescribes measures to be taken by governments, employers and workers to prevent
these hazards and mitigate the consequences of resulting occupational accidents and diseases.
Risks related to chemicals are thus also covered. Alongside the general provision covering all
risks, some of the provisions of Convention No. 155 also directly refer to chemical risks:
• Art. 5(a): The general national OSH policy, which is required by the Convention, must take
into account the design, testing, choice, substitution, installation, arrangement, usage and
maintenance of the material elements of work including chemical substances.
• Arts. 11(b) and (f): In order to give effect to the national OSH policy, authorities must deter-
mine all hazardous substances, exposure to which is prohibited, limited or made subject to
authorisation, and must ensure that the introduction and extension of systems examining
chemical agents at work is progressively carried out.
• Art. 12: persons who design, manufacture, import, provide or transfer chemical substances
for occupational use must ensure that these substances do not entail a risk to health and
safety and must make available information and instructions on the correct use of the
substances, on their dangerous properties and how hazards can be avoided. In so doing
they also must undertake research and keep up with technical knowledge.
• Art. 16(2): Employers must ensure that chemical substances under their control are without
risk to health.
The ILO supervisory bodies have produced a number of comments in which they specifically refer
to chemicals:
In the 2009 General Survey of the CEACR on Convention No. 155 and Recommendation No. 164,
the Committee noted that the building of OSH capacities is a permanent effort being made in all
ILO member States and that progress is still needed, inter alia with regard to increasing efforts
to assess the hazards and risks associated with chemicals (p. 102).
Major case-specific CEACR comments on chemicals relate to:

• a lack of inspection and control of the chemical industry, resulting in non-compliance with
safety measures and contamination of workers (Art. 9) (Brazil, Obs, 2012, 2010, 2008,
2003, 2000, 1999, 1998 and 1996) and leading to major accidents and mass contamina-
tions of workers and the public (Art. 9) (Mexico, Obs, 1996);
• lack of enforcement of safety measures in relation to chemical hazards (Art. 9) (Mongolia,
Obs, 2011);
• lack of adequate exposure limits for certain chemicals to protect workers (Art. 11(b) and (f))
(Zambia, DR, 2019);
• lack of legislation to oblige designers of (chemical) substances for occupational purposes
to ensure that those substances do not entail a risk to health and safety and to provide
information on hazards and instructions on how to mitigate risks (Arts. 12(a) and (b))
(China-Macau, DR, 2019);
23
• lack of obligation of employers to put in place controlling measures for chemicals at the
workplace (Art. 16) (Antigua and Barbuda, DR, 2019; Kazakhstan, DR, 2016); and
• lack of training of workers on hazardous chemicals (Art. 19(d)) (China, Obs, 2011).
2. Occupational Safety and Health Recommendation, 1981 (No. 164)
Recommendation No. 164 provides guidance on the implementation of some of the provisions
of Convention No. 155 and proposes more advanced measures which go beyond the obligations
contained in the Convention. It recommends inter alia the adoption of measures to ensure the
safe manufacture, packing, labelling, transport, storage and use of dangerous substances and
agents, the disposal of their wastes and residues, and, as appropriate, their replacement by other
substances or agents which are not dangerous or at least less dangerous (para. 3(h)).
IV. List of Occupational Diseases

Recommendation, 2002 (No. 194)
Recommendation No. 194 on the list of occupational diseases is an instrument which contains
a list of the main diseases that should be qualified as occupational diseases. The list of occupa-
tional diseases (in an Annex to the Recommendation) was updated in 2010. The Recommenda-
tion represents the latest worldwide consensus on diseases which are internationally accepted as
caused by work. It serves as a model for the establishment, review and revision of national lists
of occupational diseases.
The list reflects the state-of-the-art development in the identification and recognition of occupa-
tional diseases in the world. It serves both a preventative purpose against occupational diseases
and a compensatory purpose, by determining the types of diseases for which workers should be
compensated under employment injury schemes.
Recommendation No. 194 is very relevant to chemical risks at work, as it mostly covers diseases
caused by exposure to hazardous substances. Its most relevant section in this regard is section
No. 1.1 of the Annex on diseases caused by chemical agents. It lists 40 different chemical
substances (e.g. beryllium, cadmium, phosphorus, chromium, etc.) and groups of substances
(asphyxiants, isocyanates, pesticides, etc.), exposure to which can cause diseases. In addition,
under sub-Section 1.1.41 it also contains a “catch-all” clause which refers to all other chemical
substances which can cause diseases.
Another relevant section is section 3 on occupational cancer, which lists a number of chemical
agents causing cancer, such as benzidine, benzene and asbestos. Other sections of the list also
refer to occupational diseases caused by chemicals, such as No. 2.2.4 relating to skin diseases
caused by all kinds of chemical agents, or No. 2.1.12 relating to respiratory diseases caused by
different substances.
24
V. ILO instruments on occupational cancer
The Occupational Cancer Convention, 1974 (No. 139) and the Occupational Cancer Recommen-
dation, 1974 (No. 147) address the prevention and control of occupational hazards caused by
carcinogenic substances and agents. The intention behind the instruments was to lay down gen-
eral principles for implementation at national level with a view to the development of adequate
control programmes for occupational cancer.
The Convention reflects the most essential principles on the mitigation of occupational risks
related to carcinogenic substances, that is the replacement of carcinogenic substances by less
dangerous substances, the establishment of a list of carcinogens to be prohibited or made sub-
ject to authorisation or control, the recording of data concerning exposure and exposed workers,
medical surveillance and information, and education. In the Recommendation, these principles
are expanded.
Large numbers of the carcinogens covered by the instruments are chemicals. Both instruments
are up-to-date ILO instruments, in line with the modern regulatory approach of the ILO on OSH.
1. Occupational Cancer Convention, 1974 (No. 139)
a. Ratifications
Convention No. 139 so far has received 41 ratifications. Most of the ratifications are from Europe
and Central Asia (25), followed by the Americas (6), Asia (4) and Africa and the Arab States,
with three each. The Convention regularly receives new ratifications, the last one being the
Netherlands in 2017.
Most of the ratifications are from Europe and Central Asia (25), followed by the Americas (6),
Asia (4) and Africa and the Arab States, with three each. Ratifications have been decreasing over
time, with 22 ratifications between 1975 and 1990, 15 between 1991 and 2005 and just 4
since 2006.
b. Implementation
There are currently 36 pending comments of the CEACR related to Convention No. 139,
relating to 34 different States. The CAS has addressed the Convention on three occasions,
in relation to Peru (1992) and Guinea (1991 and 1989). One representation under art. 24
concerning Convention No. 139 was made against Germany in 1987, but was declared not
receivable. There has been no art. 26 complaint on Convention No. 139. Major topics occurring
in the supervisory comments are:
• insufficient implementation of the requirement for health checks of workers during and
after employment (Art. 5) (Nicaragua, DR, 2000; Croatia, DR, 2006; Denmark, DR, 2010;
Argentina, DR, 2003; Slovenia, DR, 2004; Slovakia, DR, 2013 and 2011)
• insufficient inspection services for supervising the Conventions’ application (Art. 6(c))
(Japan, DR, 2016; Finland, DR, 2006; Brazil, Obs, 2010; Hungary, DR, 2017; Uruguay, Obs,
2010; Venezuela, DR, 2015); and
• insufficient systems for recording carcinogens and their associated risks (Art. 3) (Nicaragua,
DR, 2000; Guyana, Obs, 2004; Egypt, DR, 1998).
25
i. Art. 1, list of prohibited and regulated carcinogen substances

Each party must periodically determine a list of carcinogenic substances, the use of which is
either banned from workplaces or subject to authorization and control or to other restrictions. The
list must be determined taking account of the latest information contained in Codes of Practice
and guidelines of the ILO and other competent bodies.
Supervisory comments: In some of its comments relating to Art. 1, the CEACR has noted a failure
to determine the list of carcinogenic chemicals (Uruguay, Obs, 2006; Ukraine, DR, 2014; Peru,
CAS, 1992; Guinea, CAS, 1989 and 1991), e.g. due to a lack of a regulatory mechanism to
develop the list (Guyana, Obs, 2006). In other cases a list existed, but its regular update was not
regulated (Lebanon, DR, 2016; Brazil, Obs, 2012; Uruguay, Obs, 2010), or the update was not
done sufficiently frequently or sufficiently thoroughly, owing to inefficient regulatory mechanisms
(Korea, Obs, 2014).
Other comments refer to a failure to take account of up-to-date international guidelines, such as
the guidelines of the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC), when determining the list
(Finland, Obs, 1997).
ii. Art. 2, replacement of carcinogens

Parties must make every effort to replace all carcinogens to which workers are exposed by
non-carcinogens or less harmful ones. The number of workers exposed to carcinogens must be
as low as possible.
Supervisory comments: In some of its comments related to Art. 1, the CEACR has noted a
complete failure to implement the Article (Afghanistan, DR, 2007; Nicaragua, DR, 2000; Egypt,
DR, 1998),31 or at least a partial failure related to some of the requirements, especially the
requirement to replace carcinogens (Croatia, DR, 2016; Korea, Obs, 2014).
iii. Art. 3, measures to protect workers and records

Parties must prescribe all necessary measures to protect workers against carcinogens and must
ensure the establishment of an appropriate system of records.
Supervisory comments: In some of its comments relating to Art. 1, the CEACR has noted a
total failure to implement the Article (Nicaragua, DR, 2000; Afghanistan, DR, 2007).32 Other
comments indicate incomplete implementation of the obligation to ensure appropriate records of
all carcinogenic substances, e.g. national regulations requiring employers to record carcinogenic
substances and resulting diseases at their workplace, but which do not ensure a general system
of records managed by the authorities (Guyana, Obs, 2004). Other comments relate to incomplete
recording systems, e.g. systems only recording workers already suffering from a disease but not
exposure risks (Egypt, DR, 1998), or the exclusion of some types of companies, e.g. small com-
panies with under 15 employees, from recording obligations (Egypt, DR, 1998).
31 In the case of Nicaragua, the CEACR noted that the legislation on the implementation of the Convention, which the government
provided, did not contain any provisions implementing the requirements contained in Arts. 2, 3 and 5 of the Convention. In this
regard, the government indicated that it had lacked the technical expertise to draft appropriate legislation to implement these
Articles and that it was in the course of receiving technical assistance from a multidisciplinary team, to help it with drafting the
legislation. In the case of Afghanistan, the government, from the Convention’s ratification in 1979, failed to indicate any legislation
to implement the Convention. In the case of Egypt, the government referred to a general provision requiring employers to “ensure
safety and health in the workplace”. In its comments on Art. 2, the CEACR noted that this general provision was insufficient for the
Article’s implementation and that specific regulations requiring the replacement of carcinogens were needed.
32 See the previous footnote for more details on the cases of Afghanistan and Nicaragua.
26
iv. Art. 4, information for workers
Parties must ensure that workers who are exposed to carcinogens are provided with all available
information on the dangers involved and the safety measures to take.
Supervisory comments: There are only a few CEACR comments on Art. 4 as, with a few exceptions
(e.g. Egypt, DR, 1998; Afghanistan, DR, 2007), most parties have included such information
requirements in their legislation implementing the Convention.
The CEACR did, however, in a few instances note a lack of enforcement of information require-
ments, resulting in non-compliance by many employers (Brazil, Obs, 2012).
v. Art. 5, medical checks

Parties must ensure that workers are, during and after employment, provided with medical
checks and other tests which are necessary to evaluate their exposure to carcinogens and their
health status in relation to the occupational hazards.
Supervisory comments: In some of its comments related to Art. 1, the CEACR noted a total failure
to implement the Article (Nicaragua, DR, 2000; Croatia, DR, 2006)33 or at least a partial failure,
e.g. relating to health checks following termination of employment (Denmark, DR, 2010; Argen-
tina, DR, 2003; Slovenia, DR, 2004; Slovakia, DR, 2013 and 2011). Other comments refer to
shortcomings in implementation, for example on regulations which only apply to workers who have
already contracted a disease (Egypt, Obs, 2001), or on provisions which only provide for voluntary
checks at the discretion of workers (Sweden, DR, 1999). Sometimes provisions on checks also are
too general and unspecific and therefore do not guarantee that checks are undertaken whenever
necessary (Egypt, DR, 2004). In other comments the CEACR also noted that, while checks are
performed, they are not free of charge for workers (Afghanistan, DR, 2016).
Comments of the CEACR also refer to an insufficient enforcement of requirements on health

checks, resulting in a low number of workers checked (Korea, Obs, 2014; Brazil, Obs, 2012).
vi. Art. 6, implementation measures

Parties must implement the Convention through laws, regulations or any other method consistent
with national practice, in consultation with social partners. They must designate competent
bodies responsible for the Convention’s implementation. They must also provide appropriate
inspection services to supervise the Convention’s application in practice.
Supervisory comments: There are not as many CEACR comments on the obligation to implement
the Convention by appropriate means. They mostly refer to cases in which parties implemented
the Convention via regulations which are not legally binding (Ecuador, DR, 1992; Guyana, Obs,
2002). Other comments also refer to a lack of involvement of social partners in the implementa-
tion process (Peru, Obs, 2015).
The CEACR also commented on the obligation to provide inspection services. These comments
mostly refer to issues with the quality of the inspection services, such as problems with under-
staffing, underfunding or insufficient expertise (Japan, DR, 2016; Finland, DR, 2006; Brazil, Obs,
2010; Hungary, DR, 2017), or issues concerning insufficient setup of the structure and compe-
tences of inspection services, such as those that only act on complaints from workers (Uruguay,
Obs, 2010), or cases in which inspection duties are entrusted to authorities with other roles such
as the public prosecution service (Venezuela, DR, 2015).
33 For the case on Nicaragua, see the previous footnote. In the case of Croatia, the government indicated to the CEACR that it had
not been able to draft and adopt the relevant legislation, but that a legislative process in this regard was under way.
27
2. Occupational Cancer Recommendation, 1974 (No. 147)
contained in the Convention.
The Recommendation proposes inter alia additional measures on the prevention of occupational
cancer, the supervision of the health of workers, and the information and education of workers.
3. Highlights of Convention No. 139 and Recommendation No. 147
A highlight of the Convention has a relatively high ratification rate compared to Conventions
Nos. 170 and 174.
Another strength of the Convention is the innovative mechanism in Art. 1, which obliges ratifying
States to periodically review their list of hazardous carcinogenic substances and adapt it to new
scientific standards. This obligation takes into account the fact that scientific knowledge of
carcinogens is rapidly evolving and that new carcinogens are regularly discovered. The mecha-
nism in Art. 1 thus ensures that the national laws on carcinogens are constantly updated and
keep up with scientific progress.
VI. ILO instruments on air pollution
The Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration) Convention, 1977 (No. 148) and
its corresponding Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration) Recommendation,
1977 (No. 156) were adopted with the aim of providing a regulatory tool to protect workers in all
branches of economic activity from key risks in the working environment, namely air pollution,
vibration and noise. While the main focus of the instruments is not on chemicals, they are never-
theless relevant to chemical risks as they also cover air pollution by chemical substances. Both
are up-to-date ILO instruments in line with the modern regulatory approach of the ILO on OSH.
The instruments cover preventative and protective measures relating to the design and organisa-
tion of workplaces as well as other preventative measures to reduce risks for workers, including
the supervision of the health of workers and the requirement to inform and train workers on risks,
as well as to conduct research to assess existing risks.
28
Convention, 1977 (No. 148)
a. Ratifications
Convention No. 148 has so far received 46 ratifications. Most ratifications are from Europe and
Central Asia (33), followed by Africa (6), the Americas (5) and the Arab States (2). There are no
ratifications from South and East Asia. The Convention regularly receives new ratifications, the
last one being by the Netherlands in 2017.
Most ratifications are from Europe and Central Asia (33), followed by Africa (6), the Americas
(5) and the Arab States (2). There are no ratifications from South and East Asia. The ratification
rate has been decreasing over time with 22 ratifications from 1978-1990, 17 from 1991-2000,
4 from 2001-2010 and only 1 since 2011.
b. Implementation
i. Overview of the provisions of the Convention

Part I, Scope and Definitions (Arts. 1-3): The Convention applies to all branches of economic
activity (Art. 1). It covers the contamination of air by all harmful or dangerous substances,
including chemicals (Art. 3). Ratifying States can decide not to accept the Convention’s obliga-
tions on air pollution (Art. 2), which however has so far not been done.
Part II, General Provisions (Arts. 4-7): Ratifying States must adopt regulations prescribing mea-
sures to protect workers from hazards due to air pollution (Art. 4). Social partners must be
involved in the drafting, adoption and implementation of these regulations (Art. 5). Employers
are responsible for ensuring compliance with the regulations. Employers engaged in the same
workplace must cooperate on compliance measures (Art. 6). Workers must comply with safety
measures. They also have the right to be informed and trained on air pollution hazards and on
personal protective equipment by the authorities in relation to such risks (Art. 7).
Part III, Preventative and Protective Measures, (Arts. 8-14): Authorities must establish and reg-
ularly update criteria for the determination of air pollution hazards and, where appropriate, expo-
sure limits, in accordance with up-to-date scientific knowledge (Art. 8). Working environments
must be kept free from hazards due to air pollution as far as possible (Art. 9). In the event that
a hazard cannot be mitigated, protective equipment must be provided (Art. 10). The health of
workers exposed to air pollution hazards must be examined before and during the work assign-
ment, at suitable time intervals, free of charge. Workers must be removed from occupations
found to be medically inadvisable. They must either be transferred to other suitable employment,
or else measures such as social security must be put in place to maintain their income (Art. 11).
All work processes and substances exposing workers to air pollution hazards must be notified
to the authorities (Art. 12). All persons exposed to hazards must be adequately informed and
instructed on safety measures (Art. 13). Research in the field of prevention and control should
be promoted (Art. 14).
Part. IV, Measures of Application, (Arts. 15-16): Employers must appoint a competent person
to address air pollution risks (Art. 15). Parties must adopt appropriate laws and regulations and
prescribe appropriate penalties and they must provide adequate inspection services to ensure the
correct implementation of the Convention (Art. 16).
29
ii. Supervisory comments

There are currently 40 pending comments of the CEACR on Convention No. 148, concerning 38
different States. The CAS has so far not addressed the Convention. One representation under
art. 24 concerning Convention No. 148 was made against Germany in 1987, but was declared
not receivable. There has been no art. 26 complaint under Convention No. 148. The main super-
visory comments relating to air pollution by chemicals concern:
• the failure to ensure cooperation on safety measures against air pollution of two or more
employers present in the same workplace (Art. 6) (China-Macau, DR, 2019; Tajikistan, DR,
2019; Azerbaijan, Obs, 2018; Ecuador, Obs, 2003; Guatemala, DR, 2016; Russia, DR,
2016; Seychelles, DR, 2015; Spain, Obs, 2015)
• lack of exposure limits on air pollution at work (Art. 8) (China-Macau, DR, 2019; Finland,
Obs, 1995; San Marino, DR, 2010; Anguilla, Obs, 2006; Iraq, DR, 2016; Tanzania, DR,
2010)
• no or insufficient criteria laid down for assessing all occupational hazards related to air
pollution (Art. 8) (Finland, Obs, 1995; San Marino, DR, 2010; Tanzania, DR, 2010)
• lack of regular revision of exposure limits and criteria to determine hazards due to air
pollution (Art. 8) (Egypt, DR, 1994)
• lack of regulations requiring employers to provide workers with personal protective equip-
ment in the event that air pollution hazards cannot be mitigated (Art. 10) (Guinea, Obs,
2009) and to prohibit workers from working without personal protective equipment (Art. 10)
(China-Macau, DR, 2019; Guatemala, DR, 2016)
• lack of regular health checks for workers exposed to air pollution (Art. 11(1)) (Costa Rica,
Obs, 2008) and lack of health checks prior to hazardous assignments (Art. 11(1)) (Ecuador,
Obs, 2003) and
• lack of regulations requiring the provision of alternative employment or the maintenance
of the income of workers removed from hazardous occupations (Art. 11(3)) (Hungary, Obs,
2012; Germany, DR, 2011; Malta, DR, 2013; Montenegro, DR, 2015; Tanzania, DR, 2015).

Recommendation, 1977 (No. 156)
contained in the Convention. The Recommendation proposes additional preventative and pro-
tective measures against air pollution and additional measures regarding the supervision of the
health of workers and the information and education of workers.
30
VII. ILO instruments on asbestos
The ILO Asbestos Convention, 1986 (No. 162) and Asbestos Recommendation, 1986 (No. 172)
aim at the prevention and control of health hazards relating to the use of asbestos, including
through replacement or prohibition where necessary. They primarily provide for preventative and
control measures in exposure to asbestos. Where exposure to asbestos may not be prevented or
adequately controlled, the replacement of asbestos by substitutes and the prohibition of certain
types of asbestos shall be undertaken.
Both instruments were classified as up-to-date ILO instruments, in line with the modern regu-
latory approach of the ILO to OSH, by the ILO Standard Review Mechanism Technical Working
Group (SRM TWG) at its 3rd meeting in 2017.34
1. Asbestos Convention, 1986 (No. 162)
a. Overview of the ratifications of Convention No. 162
Convention No. 162 so far has received 35 ratifications. Most ratifications are from Europe and
Central Asia (20), followed by the Americas (8), Africa (4) and Asia and the Pacific (3).
b. Analysis of the provisions of Convention No. 162 and their implementation
i. Overview of the provisions of Convention No. 162

Part I, Scope and Definitions (Arts. 1-2): The Convention applies to all branches of economic
activity. Parties may however exclude some branches under certain conditions (Art. 1).
Part II, General Principles (Arts. 3-8): Parties are required to adopt regulations prescribing
measures to protect workers from hazards relating to asbestos (Art. 3). This Part also contains
obligations on the consultation of social partners (Art. 4) on the establishment of a proper
enforcement system including the prescription of penalties (Art. 5), on ensuring the responsibility
of employers for safety measures, and on requiring several employers operating on the same site
to cooperate (Art. 6). Part II also requires workers to comply with safety measures (Art. 7) and
requires employers and workers and their representatives to cooperate as closely as possible (Art.
7).
Part III, Protective and Preventative Measures (Arts. 9-19): This Part prescribes a number of
safety measures, including measures on the prevention and control of asbestos exposure (Art.
9); its replacement and total or partial prohibition whenever possible (Art. 10); notification of
asbestos use to the authorities (Art. 13); adequate labelling (Art. 14); prescription of expo-
sure limits (Art. 15); adequate work clothing and washing of clothing and appliances (Art. 18);
and adequate disposal of used asbestos (Art. 19(1)). It also prohibits the use of certain types
of asbestos (crocidolite asbestos and asbestos spray) (Arts. 11-12). Next to the protection of
workers, the Convention also requires the authorities and employers to protect the general public
from asbestos dust released from workplaces (Art. 19(2)).
31
Part IV, Surveillance of the Working Environment and Workers’ Health (Arts. 20-21): This Part
contains obligations on the recording and monitoring of asbestos concentration levels at under-
takings (Art. 20); on health checks and the monitoring of the health of workers exposed to
asbestos and on the removal of workers from hazardous occupations while maintaining their
income (Art. 21).
Part V, Information and Education, (Art. 22): The competent authorities must promote the infor-
mation and education of workers on asbestos risks. Employers must establish policies for the
education and training of workers and must ensure that they have information about risks.
ii. Supervisory comments on Convention No. 162

The application of Convention No. 162 by ratifying States has been regularly considered by the
CEACR. There are 40 pending comments by the CEACR, relating to 31 ratifying States. The
CAS addressed Convention No. 162 on three occasions (in 2008, 2006, and 2003) regarding a
case on Croatia, and on another in 2011 regarding a case concerning Canada. There have been
no Arts. 24-26 complaints on the Convention. The major recurrent issues raised by the CEACR
concerning the application of Convention No. 162 are:
• the lack of specific legislation on the prevention and control of specific health hazards due
to occupational exposure to asbestos (Bosnia and Herzegovina, DR, 2013; Bolivia, Obs,
2016; Cameroon, Obs, 2016; Guatemala, Obs, 2016; Kazakhstan, DR, 2016; Uruguay, DR,
2015)
• a lack of periodic reviews of national laws and regulations in the light of technical progress
and advances in scientific knowledge (Art. 3(2)) (Colombia, Obs, 2016; Uganda, DR, 2016;
Spain, Obs, 2015; Uruguay, DR, 2015; Zimbabwe, Obs, 2015)
• a lack of adequate labelling of products containing asbestos (Art. 14) (Colombia, Obs, 2016;
Portugal, DR, 2016)
• the need for adequate protective processes by employers or contractors during demolition
work and the removal of asbestos (Art. 17) (Australia, DR, 2014, Colombia, Obs, 2016,
Ecuador, DR, 2016, Guatemala, Obs, 2016, Japan, Obs, 2016, Uganda, DR, 2016)
• the need to provide medical examination for workers after exposure to asbestos, including
after termination of their employment, as well as the provision of compensation for
workers diagnosed with occupational diseases caused by exposure to asbestos (Art. 21)
(Montenegro, DR, 2015; Sweden, DR, 2015; Croatia, Obs, 2014; Spain, Obs, 2015)
• a lack of due consideration to technological progress and advances in scientific knowledge,
including the latest recommendations of the IARC, according to which all forms of asbestos
are classified as human carcinogens (see e.g., Colombia, DR, 2016, and Zimbabwe, Obs,
2015) and
• insufficient information provided by governments on the application in practice of the Con-
vention, including in relation to labour inspection activities, statistics on workers exposed
to asbestos and on workers affected by occupational diseases caused by asbestos (Bosnia
and Herzegovina, DR, 2013; Cameroon, Obs, 2016; Ecuador, DR, 2016; Japan, Obs, 2016;
Kazakhstan, DR, 2016; Netherlands, Obs, 2015; Russian Federation, DR, 2016; North
Macedonia, DR, 2015; Uganda, DR, 2016; Serbia, DR, 2015; Zimbabwe, Obs, 2015).
32
2. Asbestos Recommendation, 1986 (No. 172)
of Convention No. 162 and proposes more advanced measures which go beyond the obliga-
tions contained in the Convention. The Recommendation proposes additional preventative and
protective measures to limit the exposure of workers to asbestos and additional measures on the
supervision of the health of workers as well as the information and education of workers.
Convention No. 162 and Recommendation No. 172 are among the few international instruments
specifically concerned with asbestos. The Rotterdam Convention covers some forms of asbestos,
but not the most used form of chrysotile asbestos, which accounts for 95 per cent of asbestos
use. (The inclusion of chrysotile asbestos in Annex III to the Rotterdam Convention so far has
been discussed eight times without achieving consensus.35) The Basel Convention only covers
waste containing asbestos dust or fibres (Annex I, Y36). Convention No. 162 also not only relates
to OSH but also contains obligations protecting the general public from asbestos dust, which
makes it relevant for general strategies aiming at minimizing the risk of asbestos for all.
4. Special considerations for Convention No. 162 and

Recommendation No. 172
A 2006 ILC Resolution recalled that, according to the International Agency of Research on
Cancer (IARC) and the International Programme for Chemical Safety (IPCS), all forms of asbestos
are classified as human carcinogens and also that there is no identifiable limit value below which
asbestos is not carcinogenic. It resolved that there was a need for the full elimination of the use
of asbestos. Moreover, so far more than 50 countries as well as the EU have decided to com-
pletely ban the use and also the export of asbestos. Convention No. 162 and Recommendation
No. 172, however, do not require a complete ban of asbestos and only regulate its use. (although
they still require a reduction of the use of asbestos as far as possible.) It should thus be ensured
that the existence of Convention No. 162 and Recommendation No. 172 does not justify the
continuing use of asbestos around the world.
In this regard it should however be noted that there have been cases in which implementation
of Convention No. 162 has led to a complete ban on the use of asbestos. An important case is
Canada where, based on information provided by trade unions, the CEACR issued comments
which stated that, owing to Canada’s technological advancement as well as new research
indicating no safe exposure limit for asbestos, a total prohibition of asbestos had become tech-
nologically feasible and therefore also “necessary to protect workers’ health” under Art. 10(b) of
the Convention. Following these comments, an asbestos ban was imposed in Canada.36
35 See the document UNEP/FAO/RC/COP.8/11.

36 See CEACR, Canada, Obs and DR, 2018, 2013 and 2012.
33
VIII. ILO instruments on benzene
The ILO Benzene Convention, 1971 (No. 136) and Benzene Recommendation, 1971 (No. 144)
were the last instruments adopted by the ILO which concerned a single chemical substance.
Their purpose is to protect workers from health hazards arising from exposure to benzene. They
require the use of less harmful substitute products when available and the prohibition of benzene
use in certain work processes when adequate protection from exposure cannot be provided to
workers.
Both instruments were not classified as up-to-date, but as ILO instruments requiring further
action by the ILO SRM TWG at its 3rd meeting in 2017.37 The SRM TWG found them not to be
fully in line with the modern regulatory approach of the ILO on OSH, which requires a focus on
tripartite social dialogue and the development of a national policy through consultation, along
with the management of risks by employers and workers at enterprise level. The SRM TWG did
not, however, classify the instruments as outdated but as instruments requiring further action
to ensure continued and future relevance. In this regard the working group recommended the
adoption of technical guidelines on Convention No. 136 and the revision of the Convention
and Recommendation within a general effort to compile all outdated ILO OSH instruments on
chemicals into a new coherent standard.
1. Benzene Convention, 1971 (No. 136)
a. Ratifications
Convention No. 136 has so far received 38 ratifications, of which most are from Europe and
Central Asia (20), followed by the Americas (9), Africa (4), the Arab States (4) and Asia and the
Pacific (1).
b. Implementation

The Convention applies to all activities exposing workers to benzene or products with a benzene
content of at least 1 per cent (Art. 1). It requires the replacement of benzene with less harmful
substances wherever possible (Art. 2), the prohibition of the use of benzene as a solvent, diluent
or for other uses prescribed by law (Art.4), and hygiene and technical measures to protect
workers (Art. 5).
The Convention furthermore proscribes the use of benzene in enclosed premises as far as tech-
nically possible (Art. 7), and requires the prevention of the escape of benzene vapour and the
constant monitoring of benzene in the air (Art. 6), protection for workers coming into contact with
benzene (Art. 8), appropriate labelling of benzene containers (Art. 12), and prohibition of working
with benzene for pregnant and nursing women and underage workers (Art. 11). The Convention
also contains requirements on regular health checks and safety instructions for workers exposed
to benzene (Arts. 9, 10 and 13).
34
The implementation of Convention No. 136 has been regularly reviewed by the CEACR. There
are currently 25 pending comments, concerning 23 ratifying States. The CAS has addressed the
Convention on four occasions, in 1994 regarding the Ivory Coast, in 1993 and 1988 regarding
Morocco and in 1992 regarding Spain. There have been no Arts. 24 and 26 complaints on the
Convention. CEACR and CAS comments on Convention No. 136, relate mainly to the following
issues:
• the need to adopt regulations on specific safety measures relating to benzene, mainly
protective measures against the risk of exposure to liquid benzene (Art. (8)) (Colombia,
Obs, 2017; Guinea, Obs, 2014; CAS, Morocco, 1993), the full prohibition of the use of
benzene as a solvent or diluent (Art. 4) (Bolivia, Obs, 2019; Colombia, Obs, 2016; Zambia,
Obs, 2016; Ivory Coast, Obs, 1994; CAS, Ivory Coast, 1994), the replacement of benzene
with less harmful substances (Art. 2) (Ivory Coast, Obs, 1994; CAS, Ivory Coast, 1994), the
prescription of hygiene and technical measures to protect workers (Art. 5) (Colombia, Obs,
2017), the constant measurement of the benzene concentration in the air (Art. 6) (Guinea,
Obs, 2014; Kuwait, Obs, 2016) and regular health checks for workers (Art. 9) (Colombia,
Obs, 2017)
• the absence of statistics on the application of the Convention in practice (Guyana, Obs,
2018; Bosnia, DR, 2012; Colombia, Obs, 2010; Chile, DR, 2006)
2. Benzene Recommendation, 1971 (No. 144)
The Recommendation proposes further restrictions on the use of benzene, additional technical
measures for the prevention of hazards relating to benzene as well as additional measures on the
surveillance of the health of workers and their education on the risks associated with benzene.
3. Scope of Convention No. 136 and Recommendation No. 144
There is an issue regarding the instruments’ scope as defined by Art. 1, as Convention No. 139
does not apply to any substances with a benzene content of less than 1 per cent. Modern
research has however shown that exposure to substances containing less than 1 per cent of
benzene can be hazardous and that 1 per cent limit is therefore outdated.
35
IX. ILO instruments on chemical safety

in agriculture
The ILO Safety and Health in Agriculture Convention, 2001 (No. 184) and Safety and Health
in Agriculture Recommendation, 2001 (No. 192) were adopted in 2001 as sectoral OSH instru-
ments, addressing numerous aspects of occupational safety and health in agriculture and for-
estry. Both are up-to-date ILO instruments, in line with the modern regulatory approach of the
ILO on OSH. While most of the provisions of the instruments do not concern chemicals, they both
include a section addressing the sound management of chemicals in agriculture, which makes
them relevant to chemical hazards.
Both instruments are supplemented by two Codes of Practice, which provide additional informa-
tion on ways of implementing Convention No. 184 and Recommendation No. 192. These are the
Code of Practice on Occupational Safety and Health in Agriculture of 201138 and the ILO Code
of Practice on Safety and Health in Forestry work of 1998.39
1. Safety and Health in Agriculture Convention, 2001 (No. 184)
a. Ratifications
The Convention has so far only received 18 ratifications, of which the overwhelming majority are
from Europe and Central Asia (10). The Convention regularly receives new ratifications, the most
recent being from Malawi in 2019.
b. Implementation

The main provisions in Convention No. 184, concerning chemicals, are those in the Section on
“Sound Management of Chemicals” (Arts. 12-14). They require the competent authority to take
measures to ensure that there is a suitable system for the import, classification, packaging and
labelling of chemicals and for the safe collection, recycling and disposal of chemical waste. In
addition, importers, producers or other providers of chemicals must comply with safety standards
and must inform both users of the chemicals and the authorities of any risks (Art. 12).
Moreover, they prescribe preventative and protective measures for the use of chemicals and
the handling of chemical waste at the level of the undertaking, covering the preparation, han-
dling, application, storage and transportation of chemicals; agricultural activities leading to the
dispersion of chemicals; the maintenance, repair and cleaning of equipment and containers for
chemicals; and the disposal of empty containers and the treatment and disposal of chemical
waste and obsolete chemicals (Art. 13).
38 See https://www.ilo.org/global/publications/ilo-bookstore/order-online/books/WCMS_159457/lang—en/index.htm.
39 See https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/safety-and-health-at-work/normative-instruments/code-of-practice/WCMS_107793/lang—
en/index.htm.
36
The implementation of Convention No. 184 has been regularly examined by the CEACR. Cur-
rently there are 16 pending comments relating to 15 ratifying States. The CEACR also examined
Convention No. 184 as part of its 2017 general survey on OSH, when it addressed the issue of
chemicals in agriculture40. Comments relating to the requirements on chemicals in Arts. 12-14
concern mainly the following issues:
• the inability of governments to name an authority competent for the establishment of a

system for the import, classification, packaging and labelling of chemicals (Art. 12(1)(a))
(Argentina, DR, 2012)
• the lack of regulations requiring providers of chemicals to inform the users, including
workers, of the associated risks (Art. 12(b)) (Ukraine, DR, 2016; Argentina, Obs, 2017;
Moldova, DR, 2016)
• the failure to establish a suitable system for the collection, recycling and disposal of chem-
ical waste managed by the authorities (Art. 12(c)) (Burkina Faso, DR, 2016; Portugal, DR,
2017; Moldova, DR, 2016)
• the failure to prescribe the implementation of preventative and protective measures against
chemical hazards (Art. 13) (Sao Tome and Principe, DR, 2016; Argentina, Obs, 2017;
Ghana, DR, 2019) and
• insufficient legislation implementing Arts. 12-14, which only covers some of the relevant
chemicals, e.g. pesticides, but not other relevant types of chemical (Burkina Faso, DR,
2013)
2. Safety and Health in Agriculture Recommendation, 2001 (No. 192)
It provides inter alia additional guidance on the sound handling of chemicals and proposes a set
of preventative and protective measures to be taken at the level of the undertaking, such as the
provision of personal protective equipment and spraying precautions for pesticides, the handling
and disposal of chemicals which are no longer used, the keeping of registers on pesticides, and
the training of workers on chemical risks.
3. Code of Practice on Occupational Safety and Health in Agricul-

ture and Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Forestry work
The ILO Code of Practice on Occupational Safety and Health in Agriculture of 201141 contains
a full section on the safe handling of hazardous chemicals such as pesticides (see pp.66-87),
including detailed guidelines on hazard descriptions, control strategies, exposure mitigation,
medical surveillance and other issues.
40 See https://www.ilo.org/ilc/ILCSessions/previous-sessions/106/reports/reports-to-the-conference/WCMS_543647/lang--en/index.
htm, paras. 391-392.
41 See https://www.ilo.org/global/publications/ilo-bookstore/order-online/books/WCMS_159457/lang—en/index.htm.
37
The ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Forestry work of 199842 also contains several
guidelines on safety requirements for hazardous chemicals (see e.g. paras. 141-142).
4. Highlights of Convention No. 184 and Recommendation No. 192)
According to its Art. 12(c), Convention No. 184 does not only protect workers from hazardous
chemicals but also requires employers to handle and dispose of chemicals such as pesticides
in a manner that protects the environment. This makes the instrument also relevant for general
strategies aimed at protecting the environment and the public against risks relating to pesticides
and other chemicals used in agriculture.
X. ILO instruments on chemical safety

in construction
The ILO Safety and Health in Construction Convention, 1988 (No. 167) and Safety and Health
in Construction Recommendation, 1988 (No. 175) were adopted as sectoral OSH instruments,
addressing numerous aspects of OSH in construction. Both are up-to-date ILO instruments, in
line with the modern regulatory approach of the ILO on OSH.
While most of the provisions of the instruments do not concern chemicals, Convention No. 167
includes a provision addressing OSH risks relating to explosives and another provision protecting
workers against risks related to any hazardous substances, including chemicals. Recommenda-
tion No. 175 provides additional guidance on hazardous substances and also contains recom-
mendations on fire precautions.
Both instruments are supplemented by the ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Con-
struction of 1992.43 The code contains chapters on explosives and other hazardous substances
(chapters 16 and 17.4) and provides detailed guidelines on safety measures to prevent and
mitigate risks relating to these substances.
1. Safety and Health in Construction Convention, 1988 (No. 167)
a. Ratifications
Convention No. 167 so far received 32 ratifications. It regularly receives new ratifications, the
most recent one being Russia in 2018.
42 See https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/safety-and-health-at-work/normative-instruments/code-of-practice/WCMS_107793/lang—
en/index.htm.
lang--en/index.htm.
38
b. Implementation

The main provisions in Convention No. 167 addressing chemicals are those on explosives (Art.
27) and those on “health hazards”, including the handling of hazardous substances and the
disposal of hazardous waste (Art. 28).
Art. 27 prescribes that explosives can only be handled, transported and stored by appointed
competent persons, who take all necessary steps to avoid risks to workers.
Art. 28 requires that all appropriate measures against the exposure of workers to chemical
hazards must be taken, including the replacement of hazardous substances with less dangerous
substances, safety precautions in the event that workers enter areas where toxic chemicals are
present and – if other measures are insufficient – provision of personal protective equipment.
Hazardous waste at a construction site must be disposed of in a manner that presents no risks
to safety and health.

The implementation of Convention No. 167 has been regularly examined by the CEACR. Currently
there are 30 pending comments relating to 27 ratifying States. The CEACR also examined
Convention No. 167 as part of its 2017 general survey on OSH, in which it also addressed the
issue of chemicals in construction (see paras. 387-389).
Comments relating to the requirements on chemicals in Arts. 12-14 refer mainly to the following
issues:
• a lack of regulations requiring the replacement of hazardous substances with less hazardous
ones wherever possible (Art. 28(2)(a)) (Lesotho, DR, 2010)
• a lack of regulations on safety measures related to the disposal of hazardous chemicals and
asbestos (Art. 28(4)) (Malaysia, CEACR, General Survey 2017, para. 389)
• a lack of implementation of the principle that personal protective equipment shall only be
provided when preventative safety measures are insufficient (Art. 28(2)(c)) (Belarus, DR,
2012)
• a lack of compliance of employers with safety regulations on the handling of hazardous
substances (Art. 28) (Dominican Republic, CEACR, General Survey 2017, para. 389;
China, DR, 2019 and 2013) and on requirements for the provision of personal protective
equipment (Art. 28(2)(c)) (China, DR, 2019 and 2013) and
• a failure to require the appointment of competent persons for the handling of explosives
(Art. 27) (Guatemala, DR, 2016; Lesotho, DR, 2006; Belarus, DR, 2017; China-Macau, DR,
2012; Italy, DR, 2012).
39
2. Safety and Health in Construction Recommendation, 1988

(No. 175)
contained in the Convention. It also provides additional guidance on the mitigation of risks
connected with hazardous substances, including on the establishment of an information system
for architects, contractors, employers and workers’ representatives on the health risks associated
with such substances.
3. Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Construction
The Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Construction of 199244 contains chapters on
explosives and on other hazardous substances (chapters 16 and 17.4) and provides detailed
guidelines on safety measures to prevent and mitigate risks relating to these substances.
XI. ILO instruments on chemical safety in mining
The ILO Safety and Health in Mines Convention, 1995 (No. 176) and Safety and Health in
Mines Recommendation, 1995 (No. 183) were adopted as sectoral OSH instruments, addressing
numerous aspects of occupational safety and health in mining. Both are up-to-date ILO instru-
ments, in line with the modern regulatory approach of the ILO on OSH.
Convention No. 176 includes a provision protecting workers from chemical hazards. Recommend-
ation No. 183 provides additional guidance on the types of hazards covered by this provision.
Both instruments are supplemented by the ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Open-
cast Mines of 201845 and the ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Underground
Coalmines of 2006.46
1. Safety and Health in Mines Convention, 1995 (No. 176)
a. Ratifications
Convention No. 176 has so far received 33 ratifications, of which 18 are from Europe and Central
Asia. The Convention regularly receives new ratifications, the most recent being from Mozam-
bique in 2018.
lang--en/index.htm
45 See https://www.ilo.org/sector/Resources/publications/WCMS_617123/lang--en/index.htm.
lang--en/index.ht.
40
b. Implementation
i. Provisions of Convention No. 176 relating to chemicals

The main provision in Convention No. 176 addressing chemicals is Art. 9 on chemical, biological
and physical hazards. Art. 9 mandates that employers must inform workers of existing chemical
hazards and all relevant preventative and protective measures for these hazards; take appropriate
measures to eliminate or minimise those hazards; provide free protective equipment in the event
that safety cannot otherwise be ensured; and ensure provision of first aid, transportation and
appropriate access to medical facilities for workers suffering from injury or illness due to chem-
ical hazards.
ii. Supervisory comments on provisions related to chemicals

Implementation of Convention No. 167 has been regularly examined by the CEACR.47 Currently
there are 29 pending comments relating to 26 ratifying States. The CEACR also examined
Convention No. 176 as part of its 2017 general survey on OSH, in which it addressed the issue of
chemicals in mining (see para. 390). However, among the supervisory comments of the CEACR
on Convention No. 167, specific comments on the obligations relating to chemical hazards in
Art. 9 are relatively rare.
The main topics treated in such comments are:
• A lack of regulations requiring the training and information of workers on chemical risks
(Art. 9(a)) (Zambia, DR, 2013)
• A lack of regulations on the provision to workers of free protective equipment against
chemicals (Art. 9(c)) (USA, DR, 2010; Albania, DR, 2018) and
• A lack of regulations on appropriate medical facilities and transportation for injured workers
(Art. 9(d)) (Albania, DR, 2018; Finland, DR, 2016; Brazil, DR, 2011).
2. Safety and Health in Mines Recommendation, 1995 (No. 183)
contained in the Convention. As regards hazardous substances, it proposes several additional
measures such as additional requirements to inform workers and their representatives of
hazardous substances present in the mine and the risks associated with these substances.
3. Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Opencast Mines and

Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Underground Coalmines
The Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Opencast Mines was adopted in 2018. The Code
of Practice on Safety and Health in Underground Coalmines was adopted in 2006. Both codes
contain detailed guidelines on the safe handling, storage and disposal of chemicals and other
hazardous substances used in mines (Section 9.1 in the 2018 Code and Sections 6.2, 7, 8 and
9 of the 2006 Code).
47 It also has been discussed once in the CAS in 2015 in a case related to the Philippines.
41
The ratification rate for Convention No. 176 is higher than that for other relevant OSH Conven-
tions on chemicals such as Conventions Nos. 170 and 174.
A highlight of Convention No. 176 is its potential synergies with the Minamata Convention on
Mercury (see below under D.IV). The use of hazardous chemicals in mining is a major issue.
Use of mercury in mining, especially in gold mining, continues to constitute a major health and
environmental hazard. While neither Convention No. 176 and Recommendation No. 183 nor the
two Codes of Practice mention mercury directly, the open provisions on chemicals in Art. 9 of
Convention No. 176 also cover this substance and therefore mandate the elimination or at least
minimization of hazards relating to mercury as well as other hazardous chemicals used in gold
mining. Mercury in mining is also addressed by the Minamata Convention, which contains provi-
sions on the dangers relating to small-scale and artisanal gold mining. Convention No. 176 and
the Minamata Convention therefore complement each other, as Convention No. 176 closes the
gaps left open by the Minamata Convention, for example regarding other hazardous chemicals
used in mines such as cyanide and solvents.
XII. ILO instruments on labour inspection
The ILO has adopted a number of instruments on labour inspection. The main ones are the
Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) and its corresponding Labour Inspection Rec-
ommendation, 1947 (No. 81), as well as the ILO Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention,
1969 (No. 129) and its corresponding Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Recommendation, 1969
(No. 133). The two Conventions have high ratification rates48 and are part of the “Governance”
Conventions of the ILO.
While they do not contain any substantive provisions on chemicals,49 these instruments are very
relevant for the prevention of chemical risks at work, as the existence of an effective labour
inspection system is vital for ensuring the correct implementation of regulations on chemical
safety and the protection of workers against chemical risks to which they are exposed.
Shortcomings in the inspection of chemical hazards at work have been addressed by several
supervisory comments on the implementation of the two Conventions. The main chemicals-
related issues, on which ILO supervisory bodies have commented, refer to a lack of sufficient
training to enable inspectors to detect chemical risks, in violation of Art. 7(3) and 10 of Conven-
tion No. 81 (Hungary, Obs, 2012; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2009) and Art. 9(3) of Convention No. 129
(Albania, DR, 2012; Bolivia DR, 2016; French Polynesia, DR, 2014; North Macedonia, DR, 2014;
Burkina Faso, DR, 2013; Togo, DR, 2015; Ivory Coast, Obs, 2014).
48 Convention No. 81 currently has 147 ratifications and Convention No. 129 53.
49 Convention No. 81 does however provide for the removal of samples of substances (Art. 12) and requires that duly qualified
technical experts and specialists, including specialists in chemistry, be associated in the work of inspection (Art. 9). Convention
No. 129 has only one provision addressing “hazardous substances” in Art. 18, which refers to the power of inspectors to take
immediate steps on shortcomings concerning the use of dangerous substances, which constitute a threat to health or safety.
42
XIII. ILO codes of practice on shipbuilding and
shipbreaking
While there exist no specific ILO Conventions or Recommendations on OSH in shipbuilding and
shipbreaking, the ILO has developed two non-binding guidance tools which provide guidelines
on OSH measures in these industries, including measures to prevent and mitigate chemical
hazards. These tools are therefore also relevant ILO instruments on chemicals.
The first tool is the ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Shipbuilding and Ship Repair of
1974, as revised up to 2019.50 It contains a number of guidelines on specific chemical hazards,
such as on toxic cleaning solvents (section 9.3.1), painting (9.4) and chemical paint (9.3.2), as
well as a large section on the handling of hazardous substances in general (10).
The second tool is the ILO Safety and Health in Shipbreaking: Guidelines for Asian countries
and Turkey of 2004.51 The tool contains a large number of guidelines on OSH measures during
shipbreaking activities which, despite its title, can serve as guidance for shipbreaking operations
in all countries. It also contains a large section on the management of hazardous substances
(Section 9).
A main chemical hazard of shipbreaking operations is the exposure of workers to asbestos,

which can still be found in many old ships. Both codes address this issue in several ways: the
Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Shipbuilding and Ship Repair of 1974 states that it
must be ensured that ships which are broken down have asbestos registers, so that preventative
measures against exposure to asbestos can be taken (10.1(4)(c)). It also calls for exposure limits
for workers, determined in accordance with Convention No. 162 on asbestos (10.2(3)), as well as
for a number of control measures against worker exposure to asbestos (10.4).
The ILO Safety and Health in Shipbreaking Guidelines for Asian countries and Turkey also rec-
ognizes asbestos as a main risk for shipbreaking workers (2.4.1(a), especially at the start of
shipbreaking operations, when asbestos must be removed from many parts of the ship (7.2.4.4).
It also refers to Convention No. 162 (9.2.3) and prescribes several control measures for asbestos
hazards (9.4).
50 See https://www.ilo.org/sector/Resources/publications/WCMS_618575/lang--en/index.htm.
51 See https://www.ilo.org/safework/info/standards-and-instruments/codes/WCMS_107689/lang--en/index.htm.
43
XIV. OSH Management Systems
The ILO OSH Management System guidelines, which were adopted in 2001,52 are a non-binding
guidance tool on the establishment of efficient OSH management systems, which ensure the
continual improvement of the working environment and of preventative measures on OSH. They
provide the basis for the sound management of OSH at the workplace, including the sound
management of chemicals.
The guidelines can be applied on two levels − national and organizational. At the national level,
they provide for the establishment of a national framework for OSH management systems, pref-
erably supported by national laws and regulations. They also provide precise information on
developing voluntary arrangements for strengthening compliance with regulations and standards
which, in turn, lead to continuous improvement in OSH performance.
At the organizational level, the guidelines encourage the integration of OSH management system
elements as an important component of overall policy and management arrangements. Organi-
zations, employers, owners, managerial staff, workers and their representatives are motivated to
apply appropriate OSH management principles and methods to improve OSH performance.
The guidelines establish a hierarchy of controls which structures all OSH control measures
in decreasing order of effectiveness. It requires employers at first to try to eliminate a risk
and then substitute the substance creating the risk. Only if elimination or substitution are not
possible should risks be mitigated by engineering controls which isolate workers from risks,
and by administrative controls, for example changes to working procedures. The provision of
personal protective equipment to workers can only be used as a measure of last resort, if none
of the other control measures sufficiently mitigates the risk. The guidelines also place important
emphasis on ensuring cooperation and communication between employers and workers and their
representatives regarding implementation of the OSH management systems.
52 See https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/safety-and-health-at-work/normative-instruments/WCMS_107727/lang--en/index.htm.
44
XV. ILO Guidelines for a just transition towards
environmentally sustainable economies and
societies for all
The ILO’s green jobs programme53 promotes the “greening” of enterprises, workplace prac-
tices and the labour market as a whole. These efforts create decent employment opportunities,
enhance resource efficiency and build low-carbon sustainable societies. Green jobs in this regard
are defined as “decent jobs that contribute to preserving or restoring the environment”.
As part of the green jobs programme, the ILO constituents adopted in 2015 a set of guidelines on
the just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all.54 These
guidelines also provide guidance on the environmentally sound use of chemicals at work and are
therefore also valuable for this analysis.
Relevant Sections of the guidelines are, for example, Section 26(g) on the improvement of
research on OSH risks across the life-cycle of products and new technologies; 26(i) on the
reduction and elimination of hazardous products across supply chains; 26(j) on legislation to
oblige companies to mitigate adverse impacts on workers’ health and the environment; and 27(b)
on the promotion of OSH training in green jobs for workers.
53 See https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-jobs/WCMS_213842/lang--en/index.htm.
54 To see the full guidelines, go to https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---emp_ent/documents/publication/
wcms_432859.pdf.
45
46
Analysis of other major international instruments on chemicals D
D. Synergies between ILO instruments
and other major international
instruments on chemicals
I. asel Convention on the Control of

B
Transboundary Movements of Hazardous
Wastes and their Disposal
The Basel Convention55 was adopted in 1989. It has so far been ratified by 187 States, which
is close to universal ratification among UN member States. The Convention is an international
treaty designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations and especially the
shipping of hazardous waste from industrialized countries to less developed nations.
1. Overview of the content of the Convention
This section gives a short overview of the main provisions contained in the Convention.56 Given
its purpose, the Convention mostly contains obligations relating to the export and import of haz-
ardous waste. It however also includes a number of general obligations relating to the treatment
of hazardous waste within member States.
a. Scope and Definitions
According to Art. 1, a waste material falls within the scope of the Convention if it is within the
category of wastes listed in Annexes I and VII of the Convention and if it exhibits one of the haz-
ardous characteristics contained in Annex III. In other words, it must both be listed and possess
a characteristic such as being explosive, flammable, toxic or corrosive. In addition, waste may be
considered hazardous under the laws of either the exporting country, the importing country, or
any of the countries of transit. The Convention does not cover radioactive waste.
Annex I contains a list of 45 different types of waste containing different hazardous substances or
groups of substances, most of them chemicals. Annex VII contains another list of 62 substances
or types of substance. Annex III contains a list of 14 hazardous characteristics of chemicals (e.g.
explosive, flammable, corrosive, etc.).
55 For the official website go to http://www.basel.int/.

56 For the full text go to http://www.basel.int/TheConvention/Overview/TextoftheConvention/tabid/1275/Default.aspx.
47
b. Obligations relating to the export and import of hazardous waste
The main obligation on the export and import of waste is the “prior informed consent” (PIC)
obligation contained in Art. 4(1). It mandates that all exporting States must prohibit the export
of any hazardous waste covered by the Convention if the exported product goes either to a party
which has generally prohibited the import of such waste, or, if such a general prohibition does
not exist, to a party which has not explicitly consented to the export in question. Furthermore,
according to Art. 4(9) the export is only permissible if the exporting State does not have suffi-
cient disposal facilities for it or if the waste is intended for recycling in the importing country. The
Convention furthermore places a general prohibition on the export or import of wastes between
parties and non-parties (Art. 4(4)). The exception to this rule is where the waste is subject to
another treaty that does not contradict the Basel Convention.
The Convention contains stringent requirements for the notice and tracking of movements of
wastes across national boundaries (Arts. 6 and 4(2)(f) and (h), & (7)(b) and (c)), including the
obligation to properly package and label the moved waste and to inform the importing State of
the waste’s hazards.
c. Obligations relating to the treatment and management of hazardous waste
Alongside the obligations relating to import and export, the Convention also contains a number
of obligations relating to the generation and management of hazardous waste in member States.
According to Art. 4(2) parties must ensure that the generation of hazardous waste and other
waste is reduced to a minimum, that adequate disposal facilities are as much as possible avail-
able in the country generating the waste and in an area close to the place where the waste is
produced, and that pollution of the environment is prevented or reduced as much as possible. To
implement these provisions, the Conference of Parties to the Convention has adopted a number
of guidelines on the environmentally sound management of hazardous and other waste.57
d. Amendment mechanisms
The Convention includes a special mechanism for amending the Convention, its Annexes and
Protocols (Arts. 17 and 18). Any party to the Convention can propose any amendment which can
then be adopted by the parties with a three-fourths majority (two-thirds majority for Protocols).
Amendments to the Convention or to a Protocol, however, only come into force for those States
which have voted for it or which have subsequently accepted or ratified it. So far no such amend-
ment has been adopted. Since 1995, however, an amendment is pending that would prescribe
a complete ban on the export of hazardous wastes from developed to less developed countries
(the “Basel Ban Amendment”), which has so far received 96 ratifications.58 An amendment to
the Annexes comes into force for all parties after its adoption, unless a party declares within 6
months of its adoption that it does not wish to be so bound. The Annexes of the Convention have
been amended several times to date, mostly by adding new types of hazardous waste.
e. Supervisory and enforcement mechanisms
The Convention does not contain any regulations on the consequences of violations of the Con-
vention. In this regard, in 1999 a Protocol to the Convention was adopted which establishes
liability rules and procedures for damage caused by illegal waste movement.59 The Protocol is
however not yet in force, as it has so far been ratified by only 12 States instead of the required 20.
57 See http://www.basel.int/Implementation/Publications/LatestTechnicalGuidelines/tabid/5875/Default.aspx.
58 See http://www.basel.int/Implementation/LegalMatters/BanAmendment/Overview/tabid/1484/Default.aspx.
59 See http://www.basel.int/TheConvention/Overview/LiabilityProtocol/tabid/2399/Default.aspx.
48
The Convention has a report-based supervisory mechanism, regulated in Arts. 13(3) and 15(5),
according to which States must submit reports on the measures they take to comply with the
Convention, which are reviewed by the “Committee for Administering the Mechanism for Pro-
moting Implementation and Compliance”, which then produces an “implementation report” with
conclusions on cases of non-compliance. This report is submitted for adoption to the Conference
of Parties. The current reporting cycle is biannual.
Next to the reporting procedure, there also exists a complaints system in which either a State
with implementation problems or another party can make a submission on a case of non-compli-
ance, followed by an investigation procedure and recommendations by the implementation and
compliance Committee. These recommendations are then submitted to the Conference of Parties
for approval. (The Basel Secretariat can also issue submissions, but only regarding non-compli-
ance with reporting obligations.)60
2. Complementarities between the Basel Convention

and ILO instruments
The issue of hazardous waste is of high importance for the ILO. As already mentioned, the topic
is also treated by several ILO chemicals instruments. There thus exist a number of synergies
between the Basel Convention and ILO chemical Conventions, Recommendations and Codes of
Practice.
The main obligations of the Basel Convention concern the import and export of hazardous waste.
As mentioned, the export of hazardous chemicals is also treated under Art. 19 of Convention
No. 170 and Art. 22 of Convention No. 174, which both require States exporting chemical
substances, use of which they prohibit to inform the importing country of the prohibition and
of the reasons for it. “Substances” in this regard can also include waste.61 In this regard there
exists an overlap with the Basel Convention, which also includes such notification requirements
(Arts. 6 and 4(2)(f) and (h), (7)(b) and (c)). The ILO Conventions and the Basel Convention thus
complement each other in this respect and countries which have ratified both standards can
streamline their measures to implement both notification requirements.
As regards the obligations on the environmentally sound management of waste in the Basel
Convention, there is also an overlap with ILO Conventions. Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 both
generally cover the disposal of hazardous chemicals (Art. 2(c)(v) of Convention No. 170 and
Art. 3(c) of Convention No. 174). In addition, Convention No. 162 covers the disposal of asbestos
(Art. 17(2)(c)), Convention No. 167 covers the disposal of chemicals used in construction
(Art. 28(4)), and Convention No. 184 covers the disposal of pesticides and other chemicals used
in agriculture (Art. 12(c)). The provisions of the ILO Conventions on waste disposal are however
more detailed as they contain a whole range of different obligations regarding concrete safety
measures rather than the very general obligations of the Basel Convention. 62 The ILO Conven-
tions and their accompanying Recommendations and Codes of Practice thus complement the
Basel Convention in this regard and can be used as a gap filler to expand the Basel obligations.
It is important to note however that certain respective approaches of the ILO and the Basel
Convention on waste differ. In contrast to Basel, which is mostly focused on waste disposal and
recycling, the ILO takes an inclusive life-cycle approach to chemicals and waste. Under this
60 For a full overview over the whole supervisory system, go to http://www.basel.int/Implementation/LegalMatters/Compliance/Overvi-

ewandMandate/tabid/2308/Default.aspx#
61 As the ILO Conventions only refer to the prohibition of the “use” of the substances, which does not cover the disposal of waste,
they however only apply to the export of waste which is further used, for example for recycling.
62 There exist, however, official implementation guidelines for the Convention, with more details; see above.
49
approach, the concept of “waste” is not a stand-alone issue, but rather is inherently inter-con-
nected with the life-cycle of production processes across all sectors. According to ILO chemical
instruments, questions of “disposal” must always be integrated into preliminary workplace risk
assessments, to ensure safe work systems and practices and the protection of the general public
and the environment. In this way the ILO aims to protect workers, the public and the environment
from hazardous chemicals along the entire value and supply chain. This life cycle approach is an
additional element, through which ILO instruments complement the Basel Convention.
3. Highlights of the Basel Convention
A main strength of the Basel Convention is its high ratification rate, covering almost all relevant
countries exporting and importing hazardous waste. This high rate can also be explained by
the Convention’s prohibition on importing or exporting any waste from or to any non-party. This
mechanism creates a high incentive for every State involved in the movement of hazardous waste
to become “part of the club” and be able to trade with the others. Even for the USA, which has so
far refused to become a party, this provision has led the country to conclude bilateral agreements
replicating the content of the Basel Convention with countries importing their hazardous waste,
in order for those states to be allowed to import the waste under the Basel Convention.
4. The scope of the Convention
The scope of the obligations in the Convention has generated certain concerns. This mainly
relates to the provisions on the import and export of hazardous waste, especially the main
obligation on the PIC mechanism which, according to some commentators, may be considered
as legitimizing trade in hazardous waste rather than preventing it. This issue is also not mitigated
by the Convention’s additional prohibition on exporting any waste which can be disposed of in
the country of origin. In this regard certain parties have made use of the “loophole” in Art. 4(9)
(b) and have declared the waste as being used for recycling, in which case the requirements
regarding disposal in the country of origin do not apply. These concerns have led many of the
parties to the Convention to push for the “Basel Ban” amendment to ban all export of hazardous
waste from OECD countries to developing nations. As mentioned, this amendment has so far
been unsuccessful. It has however been implemented by a number of parties to the Basel Con-
vention via unilateral, bilateral and regional multilateral agreements (see for example the Bamako
Convention63 or EU Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 of 14 June 200664).
63 A treaty between African countries prohibiting the import of hazardous waste, see https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/
environmental-rights-and-governance/what-we-do/meeting-international-environmental.
64 The regulation bans all export of hazardous waste for all EU member States, see https://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/shipments/.
50
II. Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed
Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous
Chemicals and Pesticides in International
Trade
The Rotterdam Convention65 was adopted in 1998. It is a multilateral treaty to promote shared
responsibilities in relation to the import of hazardous chemicals. The Convention promotes open
exchange of information and calls on exporters of hazardous chemicals to use proper labelling,
include directions on safe handling, and inform purchasers of any known restrictions or bans.
Signatory nations can decide whether to allow or ban the import of chemicals listed in the treaty,
and exporting countries are obliged to ensure that producers within their jurisdiction comply. So
far the Rotterdam Convention has been ratified by 161 states.66
This section gives a short overview of the main provisions contained in the Convention.67
a. Scope and definitions
The Convention generally covers all chemicals which are banned or severely restricted by parties
and all severely hazardous pesticides (Arts. 3(1), 5 and 6). It excludes any wastes, radioactive
materials, narcotics, chemical weapons, pharmaceuticals, food-related chemicals and chemicals
in quantities unlikely to affect human health (Art. 3(2)). However the Convention’s main obliga-
tion, the PIC procedure, only applies to chemicals listed in Annex III (Arts. 10, 11), which so far
contains a list of 46 hazardous chemicals or groups of chemicals.
b. Obligations regarding the import and export of chemicals
The Convention’s central obligation is the PIC procedure contained in Arts. 10 and 11. According
to Art. 10, every party must submit a decision for each substance listed in Annex III, expressing
its consent, non-consent or conditional consent to the importation of this substance. All parties
exporting chemicals must then adopt and implement legislation banning the export of chemicals
to parties who have not explicitly consented to their import. The Convention furthermore contains
several notification and information requirements for chemical exports, viz.:
• Parties exporting chemicals which they have prohibited or severely restricted must provide a
notification to the importing State containing information on the chemicals' properties and
hazards, safety measures to reduce exposure, the contact details of the national authority
handling chemical exports, the name of the importing company and other information listed in
Art. 12 and Annex V.
• Exported chemicals must also be properly labelled and provided with a customs group code of
the WCO and SDS if the chemical is used for occupational purposes (Art. 13).
• Furthermore, all parties must facilitate the exchange of scientific, technical, economic and
legal information on the chemicals covered by the Convention (Art. 14).
65 For the official website go to http://www.pic.int/.

66 See http://www.pic.int/Countries/Statusofratifications/tabid/1072/language/en-US/Default.aspx.
67 For the full text go to http://www.pic.int/TheConvention/Overview/TextoftheConvention/tabid/1048/language/en-US/Default.aspx 51
c. Amendment mechanisms
The Convention includes a special mechanism for adding substances to Annex III or removing
them by unanimous decision of the Conference of the Parties (Arts. 7, 9 and 22(5)). There
also exists an advisory body (the Chemical Review Committee) which selects new chemicals to
add to the list and suggests them to the Conference. Arts. 21 and 22 contain mechanisms for
amendments to the Convention and the Convention’s other Annexes. Amendments are adopted
by a three-fourths majority of the conference of the parties. The amendments then only come
into force for those parties accepting it.
d. Supervisory and enforcement mechanisms
The Rotterdam Convention does not envisage a supervisory mechanism to control its implemen-
tation by member States, whether report-based or complaint-based (according to Art. 18(5) the
Conference of Parties shall keep the Convention’s implementation under continuous review and
to this end shall establish supervisory bodies and procedures. This however has so far not been
done.)
2. Complementarities between the Rotterdam Convention

and ILO instruments
As mentioned, the Rotterdam Convention is mainly concerned with the import and export of
chemicals and includes a notification requirement for the export of hazardous chemicals. The
Convention therefore has an overlap with the obligations in Art. 19 of Convention No. 170 and
Art. 22 of Convention No. 174 for States exporting chemicals, the use of which they prohibit,
to inform the importing country of this prohibition and of the reasons for it. The ILO Conven-
tions and the Rotterdam Convention thus complement each other in this respect, as countries
which have ratified both standards can streamline their measures to implement both notification
requirements.
Moreover, it can be noted that, while the Rotterdam Convention is mainly focused on trade and
the transboundary effects of chemicals, the ILO chemical instruments primarily focus on the safe
use of chemicals within countries. The ILO instruments thus also complement the Rotterdam
Convention in this broader sense, by addressing domestic policies on hazardous chemicals,
alongside the international policies which are handled under the Rotterdam Convention.
3. Scope of the Convention
The Convention has received certain concerns regarding its scope. As mentioned, the main
obligations of the Convention only apply to the chemicals listed in its Annex III. The Annex
however lacks reference to certain hazardous chemicals, namely chrysolite asbestos, the main
form of asbestos used (see above under C.VII.3). So far there have been several attempts to add
chrysolite asbestos to the Annex, which have however failed.68
68 See the document UNEP/FAO/RC/COP.8/11.

52
III. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic
Pollutants
The Stockholm Convention69 was adopted in 2001. It is an international environmental treaty

that aims at eliminating or restricting the production and use of persistent organic pollutants
(POPs). POPs are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through
chemical, biological, and photolytic processes. Because of their persistence, POPs accumulate
in human bodies and other organisms, with potential adverse impacts on human health and
the environment. Many POPs are used as pesticides, solvents, pharmaceuticals, and industrial
chemicals. So far, the Stockholm Convention has been ratified by 183 States.70
a. Scope and Definitions
The Convention applies to the list of POPs contained in Annexes A, B and C of the Convention.
Annex A (on POPs to be eliminated) contains a list of 21 different substances or groups of sub-
stances. Annex B (on POPs to be restricted) contains two substances (DDT and perfluoro octane
sulfonic acid). Annex C contains a list of six substances or groups of substances which are POPs
that are produced and unintentionally released from anthropogenic sources.
b. Obligations
The Convention’s main obligations are contained in Art. 3. According to this provision, all parties
must prohibit the production and use of all POPs listed in Annex A (subject to certain exemptions
and transitory requirements for certain substances) and restrict the use and production of POPs
listed in Annex B. The import of substances listed in Annexes A and B as well as the export of
substances in Annex B is only possible for the purpose of their environmentally-sound disposal
(as well as for several exceptional reasons listed in the Convention). The export of substances in
Annex A is prohibited (apart from a few special exceptions).
As regards the POPs in Annex C, Art. 5 mandates that parties must reduce their total release as
much as possible and, where feasible, eliminate them, by inter alia developing and implementing
an action plan to identify and address their release, by adopting available and feasible measures
against their release, by promoting the development of less harmful substitutes, and by pro-
moting the use of the best available technologies for their reduction or elimination.
Furthermore, according to Art. 9 each party must facilitate the exchange with other parties of
information relevant to the reduction and elimination of POPs as well as alternatives to them
and other relevant issues. According to Arts. 10 and 11, parties must also promote awareness
and education campaigns on POPs and shall, within their capabilities, encourage or undertake
research on POPs.
69 For the official website go to http://www.pops.int/.

70 See http://www.pops.int/Countries/StatusofRatifications/PartiesandSignatoires/tabid/4500/Default.aspx.
71 For the full text go to http://www.pops.int/TheConvention/Overview/TextoftheConvention/tabid/2232/Default.aspx.
53
c. Amendment procedures
Art. 8 prescribes a procedure for the amendment of the lists in Annexes A, B and C. Under this
procedure any party can submit a proposal for listing a new chemical in any Annex, which is then
transmitted to an advisory organ (the “POP Review Committee”), which reviews the chemical on
the basis of certain criteria and decides on the submission of the amendment to the Conference
of Parties. The conference can then adopt the amendment by a two-thirds majority (Art. 19(6)
(c)). Arts. 21 and 22 contain an amendment procedure for the other parts of the Convention.
Amendments can be submitted by any party and are adopted by the conference by a three-
fourths majority. However they then only come into force for the States accepting them.
d. Supervisory and enforcement mechanisms
There currently exists no properly functioning supervising system for the Stockholm Convention.
A report-based system is envisaged by Arts. 15 and 19(5), which state that parties must reg-
ularly submit implementation reports to the Conference of Parties which shall regularly review
the Convention’s implementation based on the information in the reports. So far, however, the
Conference of Parties has not been able to agree on setting up such a mechanism to review these
reports.
2. Complementarities between the Stockholm Convention

and ILO instruments
The Stockholm Convention applies to POPs. In this regard there exist many synergies with ILO
instruments, mainly Convention No. 170, the open scope of which covers all hazardous chemi-
cals and thus also POPs. The Stockholm Convention mainly focuses on the prohibition or at least
strong restriction of the use of these substances. ILO Conventions on chemicals such as Conven-
tion No. 170, on the other hand, do not contain prohibitions or restrictions on specific chemicals
but take a different approach by generally prescribing the adoption of measures to prevent and
mitigate risks relating to any chemicals. However, as the POPs in the Convention, especially those
contained in Annex A, are hazardous, they would also fall under the general obligation in Art.
12(a) of Convention No. 170, to ensure that workers are not exposed to chemicals to an extent
that exceed exposure limits.
54
IV. Minamata Convention on Mercury
The Minamata Convention72 was adopted in 2013. It is an international treaty designed to pro-
tect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury
and mercury compounds. It contains provisions that relate to the entire life-cycle of mercury,
including controls and reductions across a range of products, processes and industries in which
mercury is used, released or emitted. The treaty also addresses the direct mining of mercury, its
export and import, its safe storage and its disposal. The Convention so far has been ratified by
115 States.73
a. Scope and definitions
The Convention applies to mercury (and substances containing at least 95 per cent of mercury)
and mercury compounds (mercury chloride, -oxide, -sulphate, -sulphide, -nitrate and cinnabar)
as well as the mercury-added products listed in Annex A (Arts. 3(1) and 4). Annex A, Part I
contains a list of 10 types of product containing mercury (e.g. batteries, switches, lamps,
cosmetics, pesticides, thermometers, etc.) which are to be prohibited. Part II of Annex A lists
dental amalgam as a product to be restricted. The Convention also applies to the manufacturing
processes in which mercury or its compounds is used, which are listed in Annex B. Annex B
contains a Part I and II, each listing a number of chemical production processes (e.g. chloral-
kali production). The Convention contains special regulations for artisanal and small-scale gold
mining (Art. 7 and Annex C).
b. Obligations
Mercury supply sources and trade (Art. 3): parties must prohibit new primary mercury mining. If
the mining was already conducted when the party joined the Convention, it must be prohibited
within 15 years. Newly-produced mercury can only be used in accordance with the Convention’s
other obligations.
The export of mercury to another party is prohibited except if this party explicitly consents to
it and uses the mercury in accordance with the Convention. The export to non-parties is only
allowed if the importing State consents and guarantees a use that is in accordance with the
Convention. Import from non-parties is only allowed when the exporting State guarantees that
the mercury was obtained in accordance with the Convention.
Mercury-added products (Art. 4): parties must prohibit the production, import and export of
the mercury-added products listed in Part I of Annex A (subject to certain exceptions and the
possibility for parties to exclude some products from the list). They must phase down the use of
products listed in Part II by implementing an action plan, setting objectives and other measures
prescribed in Annex A. Any other mercury-added products can only be produced using mercury
which has been obtained in accordance with Art. 3. Production and use of such products shall
also be discouraged.
72 For the official website go to http://www.mercuryconvention.org/

73 See http://www.mercuryconvention.org/Countries/Parties/tabid/3428/language/en-US/Default.aspx.
74 For the full text go to http://www.mercuryconvention.org/Convention/Text/tabid/3426/language/en-US/Default.aspx.
55
Manufacturing processes in which mercury or its compounds are used (Art. 5): parties must
prohibit the use of mercury or its compounds in manufacturing processes listed in Part I of
Annex B (subject to certain transitory periods) and must restrict the use of mercury and its
compounds in processes listed in Part II.
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (Art. 7 and Annex C): the Convention does not prohibit
the use of mercury in small-scale and artisanal gold mining. However, it obliges ratifying States
to adopt action plans and other measures to ensure a progressive formalization of such mining
operations as well as a progressive reduction of the mercury emitted by them. It also obliges
States to prohibit certain especially hazardous work operations involving mercury (e.g. open
burning of amalgam and cyanide leaching in sediment).
Emissions, releases, storing and disposal (Arts. 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12): parties must take steps to
control and reduce mercury emissions and releases into the environment, using the best available
techniques. The storage of mercury and the management and disposal of mercury wastes must
be managed in an environmentally-sound manner, taking into account the Basel Convention. The
risks from mercury-contaminated sites must be reduced as much as possible.
The Convention also contains provisions on information exchange, awareness-raising measures

and research (Arts. 17, 18 and 19). According to Art. 16(2)(b) the Conference of Parties to the
Convention shall promote cooperation and exchange of information with the ILO and WHO.
c. Amendment mechanisms
Arts. 4(7)-(9), 5(9)-(11) and 27 prescribe a mechanism for the amendment of Annexes A and B.
Amendments can be submitted by any party and are then adopted by the conference by a three-
fourths majority. The amendment becomes binding on all parties which have not declared that
they do not want to be bound within one year of the amendment’s adoption. According to Arts.
26 and 27, the text of the Convention and the other Annexes can be amended using the same
procedure. Amendments to the text, however, only come into force for the States accepting them.
d. Supervisory mechanisms
In according with Art. 15 an implementation and compliance committee is established as a

supervisory body for the Convention. The committee meets annually (so far it has met in 2018
and 2019). According to Art. 21 parties must regularly send implementation reports regarding
the Convention. These reports are reviewed by the committee, which issues recommendations
on cases of non-compliance. These recommendations are then approved by the Conference
of Parties. (The exact review procedure and the adoption of additional procedures such as a
complaints procedure will be laid down in the committee’s rules of procedure, which have so far
not been adopted but are in the process of preparation.)
2. Complementarities between the Minamata Convention

and ILO instruments
There exist many synergies between the Minamata Convention and the ILO chemicals instru-
ments. Mercury is covered by the general chemicals Conventions (Nos. 170, 174 and also 155),
which cover all chemical risks. Convention No. 176 is also of specific importance for the issue,
as it covers the important issue of mercury use in mining. Convention No. 176 in this regard
complements the Minamata Convention, as the latter focuses on mercury use in small-scale and
artisanal gold mining, while Convention No. 176 also covers the use of other chemicals in mining.
56
Next to mining, the obligations in the Convention with the most overlap with ILO Conventions is
Art. 5 on manufacturing processes involving mercury. As mercury is a hazardous chemical, it is
covered by the general provisions in ILO Conventions No. 170 and 174, which protect workers
against exposure to mercury in all manufacturing processes involving this substance. Mercury is
also addressed in the ILO List of Occupational Diseases Recommendation, which covers occupa-
tional diseases caused by mercury or its toxic compounds.
V. Globally Harmonized System of Classification

and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)
The GHS75 is an internationally agreed standard which was set up to create an internationally
harmonized approach to classification and labelling of chemicals. Core elements of the GHS
include standardized hazard testing criteria, universal warning pictograms, and harmonized SDS
which provide users of chemicals with hazard information.
The GHS is not a legally binding instrument like the ILO Conventions or the BRS and
Minamata Conventions, but a soft law instrument. It is nevertheless open for voluntary
implementation. The system has been implemented to a significant extent in 72 UN
member States, including many important chemical producing and using countries of
the world, including the EU and the USA and most other G20 countries. The GHS was
developed at the initiative of the ILO and the OECD. Its development was mandated at
the 1992 Rio Conference.
1. Overview of the content of the GHS
The GHS is made up of a hazard classification and hazard communication system.76 The GHS
classification system classifies chemical substances according to the different hazards related
to them. It covers all chemicals except pharmaceutical products. In addition to hazards for the
health and safety of humans, the system also covers risks to the environment. Furthermore, the
system does not only cover individual substances but also hazards relating to chemical mixtures.
The hazard communication system takes into account these classified hazards and prescribes
measures to ensure that those hazards are appropriately communicated to the users of the
chemicals. One element is a system of harmonized labels which explain all hazards relating to a
chemical and which are easily understandable for all persons and across national and language
boundaries. The labels include symbols (hazard pictograms), signal words (like “danger”,
“warning”) and a GHS hazard statement, which includes standard phrases assigned to a hazard
class and category that describe the nature of the hazard. It can also include GHS precautionary
statements (i.e. measures to minimize or prevent adverse effects). Labels should also contain
information on product ingredients and supplier information as well as other supplementary
information.
75 For an overview of the system go to https://www.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/ghs/ghs_welcome_e.html.

76 For the full text of the GHS with revisions up to 2019, go to https://read.un-ilibrary.org/environment-and-climate-change/global-
ly-harmonized-system-of-classification-and-labelling-of-chemicals-ghs_f8fbb7cb-en#page1.
57
Along with the labels, the GHS also requires the provision of SDS for chemicals, specifically
aimed at use in the workplace. These SDS must provide comprehensive information that allows
employers and workers to obtain concise, relevant and accurate information in relation to the haz-
ards, uses and risk management for each chemical product used in the workplace. In this regard
the ILO, in cooperation with the WHO and EU, has developed a system of International Chemical
Safety Cards (ICSCs). The ICSCs include information for more than 1,700 different chemicals
which conform to the SDS requirements of the GHS. These cards are peer-reviewed and are
available in 18 languages on the ILO website.77 Finally the GHS also includes recommendations
on the education and training of workers on chemical hazards.
2. Finding complementarities between the GHS

and ILO instruments
As mentioned, the ILO was one of the initiators of the GHS system and has been a major contrib-
utor to its success through steering its development and adoption as a UN technical standard,
through ensuring the full participation of organizations of employers and workers in the process,
and also through making available the ICSCs.
The GHS is well-aligned with ILO chemical Conventions, notably Convention No. 170, which had
an important influence on the development of the GHS, as the Convention contains obligations
covering all components of the GHS (i.e. the classification and labelling of chemicals, the provi-
sion of SDS for workers and the training of workers on chemical hazards). The implementation of
the GHS is therefore a synergistic method of applying certain elements of Convention No. 170
which, as noted by the CEACR, has been done by many parties (see e.g. China, DR, 2019; Brazil,
DR, 2007; Mexico, DR, 2010; Tanzania, DR, 2015; Italy, DR, 2007).
3. State of implementation of the GHS
Despite the fact that the GHS is not a legally binding instrument, it has proved to be effective
since many important chemical producing and using countries have implemented it, including
the USA which has not ratified any of the other major international instruments on chemicals
analysed in this document. On the other hand, however, there remain important implementation
gaps in several regions. This concerns a significant number of developing countries, including
countries with economies in transition with growing chemicals industries. Countries in Africa, the
Middle East, Latin America and South Asia are of particular note.
Owing to the persisting GHS implementation gaps, in many countries hazardous chemicals are
not labelled or at least not properly labelled (e.g. using language understood by users). Particular
challenges have been identified in small and medium-size industries and in the informal sector.
Other challenges include ensuring that hazard information communicated through the GHS is
fully understood by the target audience, that is workers and consumers.
58 77 See https://www.ilo.org/safework/info/publications/WCMS_113134/lang--en/index.htm.
59
60
ILO instruments in relation to SDGs and major inter-national frameworks and strategies on chemicals E
E. ILO instruments in relation to SDGs
and major international frameworks
and strategies on chemicals
The following section examines the major existing international strategies on chemical risks
and analyses how ILO instruments fit into these frameworks and how they can make strategic
contributions to their success.
I. Sustainable Development Goals
The SDGs cover a range of targets on the protection of the health and safety of workers and also
of the public and the environment. These goals are promoted by the ILO chemical instruments.
The most relevant SDGs in this regard are SDGs 3, 8, 12 and 16 and especially their Targets
3.9, 8.8, 12.4 and 16.6.
SDG 3 is the “health” SDG which is related to the whole field of OSH. Its Target 3.9 is to “by
2030 substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air,
water, and soil pollution and contamination”. As all the ILO instruments on chemicals ultimately
aim at reducing deaths and illnesses due to chemicals, for both workers and employers but also
for the public, they they all promote this target.
SDG 8 is the “jobs” SDG; its Target 8.8 is to “protect labour rights and promote safe and secure
working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, particularly women migrants,
and those in precarious employment”. All ILO instruments on chemicals are OSH instruments
and therefore promote this target.
SDG 12 is the “responsible consumption” SDG; its Target 12.4 4 is the requirement to "by 2020,
achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their
life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their
release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the
environment.” This Target is supported by all ILO instruments and policies on chemicals, which
all aim at promoting the sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle.
61
II. SAICM and the Beyond 2020 process
The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) is a global policy frame-
work for fostering the sound management of chemicals, which was adopted in 2006. It supports
the achievement of the goal agreed at the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable
Development of ensuring that, by the year 2020, chemicals will be produced and used in ways
that minimize significant adverse impacts on the environment and human health.
The SAICM secretariat is managed by the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP). SAICM focal
points include 175 governments and 85 NGOs. Members of SAICM regularly meet at the Inter-
national Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM), which undertakes periodic reviews of
SAICM. The main SAICM documents are the 2006 Dubai Declaration on International Chemicals
Management and the corresponding “Overarching Policy Strategy” for SAICM, adopted with it.78
After it became apparent that SAICM would miss its 2020 goal, in 2015 the 4th ICCM initiated
an inter-sessional process to prepare recommendations regarding the Strategic Approach beyond
2020. The first meeting of the inter-sessional process was held in 2017.
1. Synergies between ILO instruments and the SAICM “Overarching

Policy Strategy”
The ILO instruments, which are mostly focused on OSH, clearly align within the strategy’s scope,
which according to Section 3(a) of the policy covers “health and labour aspects of chemical safety”.
ILO instruments also fit well into the objectives listed in part IV of the strategy:
Risk Reduction
According to Section 14 of SAICM, the objective of “risk reduction” should inter alia be achieved
by minimizing risks to the health of workers and the environment throughout the life-cycle of
chemicals (14(a)) and by implementing effective risk management strategies aimed at risk reduc-
tion and elimination, including detailed safety information on chemicals (14(c)).
ILO chemicals instruments such as Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 mirror these objectives.
Both these instruments aim at reducing the risks of hazardous chemicals for workers and the
environment. The objective of an overall “risk management strategy” is embodied by Art. 4 of
Convention No. 170 and Art. 4 of Convention No. 174, which both require the implementation
and periodic review of a national policy on chemical safety at work. The policy must advance, at
all relevant levels, the rights of workers to a safe and healthy working environment and promote
principles such as assessing risks or hazards, combating risks or hazards at source, and devel-
oping a national preventative safety and health culture.
The objective of detailed safety information on chemicals in section 14(c) of SAICM is further-
more specifically advanced by Convention No. 170, which contains extensive requirements on the
classification and labelling of chemicals, on SDS and on the training and information of workers
about hazards. ILO instruments furthermore fit well into the SAICM objective of giving priority
consideration to the application of preventative measures (Section 14(f)).
The primacy of prevention over protection is embodied in both Conventions Nos. 170 and 174.
Convention No. 174 already refers in its title to the prevention of major accidents and contains
numerous obligations directed towards this goal. Convention No. 170 also contains many preven-
78
For the text of both documents go to http://www.saicm.org/Portals/12/Documents/saicmtexts/New%20SAICM%20Text%20
with%20ICCM%20resolutions_E.pdf.
62
tative provisions (e.g. Art. 10 on risk identification, Art. 12 on exposure reduction and Art. 15 on
information and training). A main provision in this regard is also Art. 13 on operational control,
which explicitly states that employers must first take all steps to eliminate or minimize a chem-
ical risk to workers and can only revert to protective measures (such as provision of protective
equipment) if prevention measures are insufficient.
ILO instruments also correspond well with the SAICM objective of ensuring that existing, new
and emerging issues of global concern are sufficiently addressed (Section 14(g)). In this regard
Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 are especially helpful as both, unlike the BRS and Minamata
Conventions, contain general provisions addressing all hazardous chemicals, not just a list of
specific chemicals. The provisions of the ILO Conventions are therefore much more flexible and
can easily accommodate any new chemical risks which emerge, while the BRS and Minamata
Conventions first have to be amended to cover such new risks.
Knowledge and Information

ILO instruments also fit well into the SAICM objective of ensuring knowledge and information
about chemical risks. According to Section 15 of SAICM, the objective of “knowledge and infor-
mation” should inter alia be achieved by ensuring that knowledge and information on chemicals
are sufficient and that such information is available to all stakeholders and disseminated in
appropriate language (Sections 15(a) and (b)). SAICM also specifically refers to the need to
promote GHS (15(h)). As mentioned above, this aim is well reflected in ILO chemicals instru-
ments, especially Convention No. 170, the core obligations of which cover all elements of the
GHS (i.e. the classification, labelling and SDS as well as the training and education of workers).
As mentioned, Convention No. 170 also had an important influence on the development of the
GHS and the ILO has been one of the main initiators of the GHS and is constantly promoting its
implementation.
Governance
Finally, ILO instruments also correspond to the SAICM “governance” objective. According to
Section 16 of SAICM, the objective of “governance” should inter alia be achieved by estab-
lishing comprehensive national and international mechanisms that are multi-sectoral and ensure
accountability (16(a)). This corresponds to the approach of ILO Conventions such as Nos. 170 and
174, which are both multi-sectoral and, as mentioned, prescribe the establishment of national
policies on chemical hazards, which must include the establishment of appropriate national
mechanisms to address chemical risks at all levels and ensure accountability. ILO Conventions
also provide for a robust international system which ensures the accountability of ratifying States
by inter alia subjecting them to supervision by the ILO supervisory system.
Section 16 of SAICM furthermore calls for the provision of guidance to stakeholders and the
promotion of relevant codes of conduct (Sections 16(c) and (e)). As mentioned above, the ILO
has pursued many activities in this regard and has inter alia developed and published a number
of relevant codes of conduct on many different aspects of chemical safety at work.
Section 16 of SAICM calls for the promotion of the active participation of civil society and
workers in regulatory and other decision-making processes (Section 16(g)). As tripartism is one
of the core principles of the ILO, this objective is also well reflected in ILO instruments which all
require the active involvement of workers and employers in decision-making processes, whether
at national or factory levels (e.g. Arts. 4 and 18 of Convention No. 170 and Arts. 4, 5, 6 and 20
of Convention No. 174).
63
Capacity-building
The objective of “capacity-building” in Section 17 of SAICM is also reflected in ILO instruments
such as Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 but also in most other ILO chemicals Conventions which,
as mentioned, contain obligations on the constant improvement of chemical safety measures
and the promotion of innovations in this regard, as well as on information and education on such
measures. The last objective on “illegal international traffic” in Section 18 of SAICM is however
less relevant to ILO instruments.
2. Synergies between ILO instruments and SAICM emerging policy

issues (EPIs)
In the course of the work of SAICM a number of EPIs have been formulated, which are of special
relevance to the strategic approach in the coming years. The following section analyses the way
in which ILO chemicals instruments can contribute to these objectives.
a. Lead in paint
This EPI concerns the abolition of the use of lead in paint. This topic was one of the first OSH
issues discussed by the ILO which, as long ago as 1923, adopted Convention No. 13 which
prohibits the use of white lead in the internal painting of buildings. The Convention has 63
ratifications and is therefore quite relevant to the achievement of the SAICM aim of abolishing
the use of lead in paint worldwide.79
b. Pesticides
This EPI addresses the need to reduce the use of highly hazardous pesticides and their replace-
ment with less harmful substances. In this regard reference can be made to ILO instruments
on OSH in agriculture, especially Convention No. 184, which contains a number of obligations
relating to pesticides. The main provision in this regard is Art. 13, which prescribes the adop-
tion of regulations which require that agricultural undertakings must establish preventative and
protective measures for the handling of chemicals such as pesticides. This obligation is further
specified by the ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Agriculture (see above). This code
contains numerous guidelines on pesticide handling and inter alia lists relevant pesticides with
regard to their hazard levels, including a list of pesticides which are highly or extremely hazardous
(see para. 10.2.2.1.2). It also contains guidelines on the handling of hazardous pesticides and
limiting of the exposure of workers to them (para 10.3.1.4) and recommends the substitution of
hazardous pesticides by less harmful products (paras. 10.3.2 and 10.3.1.4) as the preferable
solution.
In its comments on Convention No. 184, the CEACR has also referred to the issue of the use of
toxic pesticides and has urged States to improve the protection of agricultural workers against
them (e.g. Kyrgyzstan, DR, 2019 concerning workers in tobacco fields).
79 It should however be noted that the ILO’s SRM TWG did not classify this Convention as up-to-date but as an instrument regarding
which further action is needed to ensure its continued and future relevance, see https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_
norm/---relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_587514.pdf.
64
c. Chemicals in products
This EPI concerns the management and tracking of harmful chemicals in products. As a general
chemical risk, chemicals in products fall under the general obligations on chemical safety in
Convention No. 170 (see Art. 1(1) and 2(a) and (b)). In this regard Convention No. 170 mainly
protects workers against excessive exposure to hazardous chemicals in the products they pro-
duce (Art. 12).
As mentioned, Convention No. 170 also contains several provisions protecting the general public
and thus also the consumers of such products. In this regard, Convention No. 170 requires
labelling of all products containing hazardous chemicals (Art. 7) and also protects the public and
the environment against the unsound disposal of products containing hazardous chemicals (Art.
14). (So far, however, the issue of chemicals in products has not been addressed by comments
of the CEACR on Convention No. 170 or other ILO chemicals Conventions).
d. Electrical and electronic products
This EPI concerns the minimization of risks from hazardous substances within the life-cycle of
electrical and electronic products and especially the minimization of risks related to e-waste. The
general obligations of Convention No. 170 apply to hazardous substances in electronic products
and provide for protection in relation to occupational risks, labelling and the sound disposal of
e-waste.
The ILO is also involved in a number of activities relating to e-waste, including participation in the
UN E-waste Coalition, which provides a global platform for support on this issue. In November
2019 the ILO Governing Body endorsed the points of consensus agreed at the Dialogue Forum,
which inter alia requested the ILO secretariat to undertake research with a view to convening a
tripartite meeting to develop guidelines or a Code of practice on decent and sustainable work in
the management of ewaste.80
e. Nanomaterials, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, environmentally persistent

pharmaceutical pollutants and perfluorinated chemicals
Further EPIs concern the risks related to a number of specific hazardous substances, that is
nano-materials, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, environmentally persistent pharmaceutical pol-
lutants and perfluorinated chemicals. These hazards are also all covered by Convention No. 170
and there exist a number of policy papers (co-)produced by the ILO on most of the risks.81
80 See https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---sector/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_685681.pdf.
81 e.g. the background paper drafted for the development of an ILO policy framework for hazardous substances, which extensively
addresses nanomaterials; see https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---sector/documents/meetingdocument/
wcms_160746.pdf; a “Nanosafety and Ethics Strategic Plan (2012-2016)” of Thailand, development of which the ILO supported
or an IPCS paper on endocrine disruption co-prepared by the ILO, see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3620733/.
65
66
Conclusion F
F. Conclusion
As seen, ILO instruments have a number of special characteristics which can serve as key con-
tributions by the ILO to the current global strategy to eliminate chemical risks around the world
within the framework of the SDGs and SAICM. Furthermore, With its unique tripartite structure,
the ILO international standards are negotiated and adopted in a tripartite setting involving gov-
ernments as well as workers’ and employers’ organizations from around the world.
I. ILO instruments have their own scope of application
The ILO instruments have high relevance to the objectives of both the SDGs and SAICM. In this
regard they also clearly have their own range of application which is not covered by any of the
other international instruments on chemicals. This of course concerns OSH and the protection of
workers against chemical risks, which is the main scope of ILO instruments and which is also a
main objective of the SDGs (especially SDG 8.8) and SAICM (see Section 3(a) of the overarching
policy framework).
Furthermore, as seen above, along with OSH, ILO instruments also protect the public and the
environment from chemical risks and are therefore also relevant for other objectives (e.g. SDGs
3.9 and 16.6). This concerns hazards related to major industrial accidents caused by chemicals,
which are covered by Convention No. 174 (see e.g. Art 4(1)). Furthermore, Convention No. 170
also contains provisions protecting the general public and the environment in relation to the
classification and labelling of chemicals and the disposal of chemical waste (Art. 6, 7 and 14).
Some of the more risk-specific ILO chemical Conventions also have a wider scope of application.
This concerns Convention No. 162 regarding the protection of the public against asbestos dust
(Art. 19(2)), Convention No. 184 which protects the environment and the general public against
hazardous pesticides and other chemicals used in agriculture (Art. 12(c)), and the white lead
Convention No. 13, which protects workers and the public from white lead paint inside buildings
(Art. 1(1)).
A special focus in this regard should be on asbestos and Convention No. 162. As mentioned
above, this substance has attracted major attention as a human carcinogen, the full prohibition
of which has been prominently suggested by organizations such as the IARC. Owing to several
failed attempts to add asbestos to the Annex of the Rotterdam Convention, ILO Convention
No. 162 can be considered as the main international instrument explicitly addressing the issue
in a comprehensive manner (The Basel Convention also covers asbestos, but only hazards related
to asbestos in waste.) Convention No. 162 could thus be promoted as a main policy tool for
addressing the remaining use of asbestos around the world.82 This especially concerns Russia
and Kazakhstan, which are among the last remaining large producers of asbestos and which have
both ratified Convention No. 162.
82 This has also been confirmed by the ILO’s SRM TWG, which has recently classified the Convention as up-to-date instrument and
has called for its promotion to address the continued use of asbestos around the world, see https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/
public/---ed_norm/---relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_587514.pdf.
67
II. ILO Conventions mainly operate in the area of domestic policy
As seen above, the main non-ILO international chemical instruments such as the Basel and
Rotterdam Conventions mostly contain procedural obligations relating to the process of importing
and exporting chemicals (e.g. the prior informed consent procedure, notification requirements,
etc.) but not many “substantive” requirements regarding the use of the chemicals (e.g. on the
prohibition and restriction of their use, measures for exposure reduction, etc.). The Stockholm
and Minamata Conventions, on the other hand, contain many such substantive requirements
although with a limited scope, applying only to a few chemicals (POPs and mercury).
This is in contrast to the ILO Conventions, which all contain extensive obligations regarding
measures for the prevention and mitigation of chemical hazards as well as on the development
of national policies on chemicals. The ILO Conventions therefore operate in the area of domestic
policy and risk reduction within each country, and not only the area of transboundary effects of
chemicals and international relations.
ILO Conventions also are more inclusive. This concerns, for example, the issue of hazardous waste,
on which ILO Conventions adopt an approach which treats waste as an issue interconnected with
the life cycle of production processes across all sectors. In addition, as shown, almost all the ILO
Conventions are supplemented by both Recommendations and Codes of Practice which provide
detailed guidance on how the substantive requirements of ILO Conventions can be implemented
and how their objectives of risk elimination and reduction can be achieved.
Furthermore, the main ILO chemicals Conventions, namely Nos. 170 and 174, but also Conven-
tion No. 155, do not solely cover a specific set of chemicals listed in their Annex, but include
general obligations covering all chemical hazards (or all major hazardous substances in the case
of Convention No. 174). As seen, these open provisions provide for greater flexibility and facili-
tate the adaptation of ILO Conventions to newly discovered chemical risks, including emerging
substances and mixtures. This can inter alia be seen with the EPIs of SAICM, regarding which
even the issues not addressed by specific ILO Conventions are covered by the open provisions of
the general chemicals Conventions. These risks thus also all fall within the scope of supervision
by the ILO supervisory bodies, which can single them out and scrutinize ILO member States with
regard to the measures they have taken to mitigate or eliminate them.
68
Conclusion F
III. The ILO has a strong and elaborate supervisory system
As seen, the fact that the ILO Conventions are supervised by the ILO supervisory system presents
a major advantage in several ways. First, regular supervision ensures better implementation of
the ILO Conventions by identifying cases of non-compliance and urging the concerned countries
to comply, which in many cases leads to substantial progress in resolving cases.83 In this regard
it is especially important that the ILO supervisory system also includes mechanisms involving
employers' organizations and trade unions, for example the complaint-based mechanisms (Arts.
24 and 26) and especially the fact that, under Art. 23 of the ILO Constitution, workers and
employers can submit observations on the implementation of the Conventions and on reports
of governments submitted to the CEACR. As the CEACR comments on the OSH Conventions
addressing with chemicals show, reports from employers and especially trade unions have been
vital for the detection of many of the cases of non-compliance highlighted by the CEACR, which
otherwise would not have been discovered (see e.g. Colombia, Convention No. 170, DR, 2018;
Brazil, Convention No. 170, Obs, 2012; Korea, Convention No. 170, DR, 2015; Armenia, Conven-
tion No. 174, DR, 2014; Bosnia, Convention No. 174, DR, 2018 or the Netherlands, Convention
No. 174, DR, 2015).
Next to ensuring better implementation, another important function of the supervisory bodies
is the application of the ILO Conventions to individual cases. As seen above, many of the ILO
Conventions such as Conventions Nos. 170 and 174, contain broad obligations, such as the
obligation to protect workers against all chemicals risks by “appropriate means”. These provisions
require further interpretation to determine whether the provision has been violated in a specific
case. Without strong supervisory bodies such general obligations tend to have less impact as it
is difficult to identify cases of non-compliance. In the case of the ILO Conventions, however, the
CEACR and the other supervisory bodies can elaborate these obligations by applying them to
special national circumstances and specific cases.84 Clarifications by the supervisory bodies can
furthermore help overcome ambiguities in the Conventions’ texts.
IV. ILO instruments support the SAICM framework
As shown above, ILO instruments contribute to several aspects of the SAICM overarching policy
framework. Concerning SAICM’s objective of “risk reduction”, it is undisputed that a main part
of achieving a substantial reduction in chemical risks around the world requires the adoption of
concrete preventative and protective policies at domestic level. However, as seen above, several
of the non-ILO chemicals instruments may not address the domestic level or only address limited
aspects of domestic policies. Such domestic aspects are however addressed extensively by ILO
instruments.
ILO instruments also support the SAICM objective of “knowledge and information”, specifically
the classification and labelling of chemicals, along with SDS and training of workers. While
the GHS is an important international instrument in this regard, it is not legally binding and
therefore does not ensure regular supervision of compliance. This gap is however perfectly filled
by Convention No. 170 and the ILO supervisory system controlling it.
83 Since 1964, the CEACR has kept track of the number of cases of progress in which it has noted changes in law and practice
which have improved the application of a ratified Convention. To date, over 3,000 cases of progress (cases in which the Com-
mittee has expressed “satisfaction”) have been noted, see https://www.ilo.org/global/standards/applying-and-promoting-interna-
tional-labour-standards/the-impact-of-the-regular-supervisory-system/lang--en/index.htm and https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/
public/---ed_norm/---normes/documents/publication/wcms_672549.pdf.
84 In this regard, it must be mentioned that the function of the CEACR as an organ interpreting ILO Conventions has recently been
questioned by ILO constituents in the course of the controversies surrounding the question whether a right to strike is contained in
ILO Convention No. 87. It can however also be noted that with regards to the other ILO Conventions, including all OSH ones, the
validity of the comments of the CEACR so far has not been questioned.
69
Finally, ILO instruments also support the SAICM objective of “governance”, especially towards the
aim of establishing comprehensive national and international mechanisms that ensure account-
ability. As mentioned, ILO instruments contain many comprehensive provisions on the establish-
ment of national mechanisms on chemicals, especially the provisions on the establishment of
national policies in Conventions Nos. 170, 174 or 155. Furthermore, as regards accountability at
international level, the ILO Conventions have a major advantage in that they are monitored by a
comprehensive and sophisticated supervisory system.
In further support tothe SAICM “overarching policy framework”, ILO instruments are very useful
tools for implementing SAICM EPIs. As reflected above, ILO’s risk specific and sector specific
OSH instruments address for instance: worker exposure to lead and chemicals in agriculture.
Furthermore, the EPIs not covered by risk and sector specific instruments which are, at least as
regards occupational risks, fully covered by the general provisions of Conventions Nos. 170, 174
and 155. The ILO instruments in this regard serve as important gap fillers, as several of these
issues are not the focus of other international instruments (the Basel and Rotterdam Conventions
cover pesticides, environmentally-persistent pharmaceutical pollutants, perfluorinated chemi-
cals and lead, but not nanomaterials and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The Basel Convention
furthermore covers electronic waste. The Stockholm Convention only covers environmentally per-
sistent pharmaceutical pollutants. Minamata only covers mercury-added products, which relates
to the EPI on chemicals in products.)
V. Ratification rates
It is important to note that ILO Conventions have been influential worldwide even when they are
not ratified. The ILO Chemicals Convention, 1990 (No. 170), for example, has had an important
influence on other major international instruments on chemicals, which were adopted after it,
such as the GHS and the Rotterdam Convention. The GHS was developed as a follow-up to the
adoption of Convention No. 170. ILO Conventions relevant to chemicals are also often imple-
mented or used as guidance tools, regardless of their ratification by a particular country. They are
for example referenced in the standards of several private compliance initiatives, which monitor
the compliance with labour standards by companies around the world.85
Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 have each been ratified by around 20 countries. In the case of
Convention No. 170, numerous countries which are important users and producers of chemicals
have ratified it (e.g. China, Germany, Italy, Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Poland and
Sweden). Convention No. 174 has also been ratified by a number of important producers and
users of chemicals (e.g. Russia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden).
Furthermore, as regards Convention No. 170, reference can also be made to the GHS, which
incorporates a number of the obligations contained in Convention No. 170 and which has been
implemented by many countries. Therefore, while many of these countries have not ratified
Convention No. 170, they nonetheless comply with several of its obligations.
The individual ratifications of Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 furthermore have to be seen in the
context of the ratifications of the other ILO Conventions. In this regard it should be noted that
many of the ILO Conventions contain broad obligations covering many different OSH hazards
and therefore overlap. This is for example the case with general ILO OSH Conventions, such as
the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155), the Promotional Framework
for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187) and the Occupational Health
Services Convention, 1985 (No. 161). These three Conventions all have a general scope covering
all occupational risks and thus all chemical risks.
85 A good example are the ILO Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155), and the Occupational Health Services
Convention, 1985 (No. 161), which both contain general provisions, covering all occupational risks and thus all chemicals related
risks. Both Conventions have been quoted in the standards on OSH of major private compliance initiatives, such as the Global
Reporting Initiative (GRI), see https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/.
70
Conclusion F
When the ratification rates for Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 are combined with the ratifications
of the last-mentioned Conventions, the number of ratifications totals 98. This means that 98
countries have ratified at least one of the mentioned Conventions and have committed themselves
to adopting measures against all chemical risks at work. Taking into account the ratifications of
Convention No. 139 on carcinogens and Convention No. 148 on air pollution, which both cover
a large number of different chemical hazards, the number reaches 109. This total is much
higher than the individual ratification rates for each of the Conventions and therefore places the
relevance of the ILO regulatory framework on chemicals in a different perspective.
It can thus be concluded that ILO Conventions, as well as their accompanying Recommendations
and Codes of Practice, have been highly influential regardless of their ratification rates. Further-
more, even though some of these Conventions have not been ratified by all ILO Member States,
in combination the chemicals-related ILO Conventions have in fact received a large number of
ratifications. The ILO regulatory framework on chemicals as a whole has thus an extensive reach
and influence, both qualitatively and quantitatively. As a way forward, the ILO should neverthe-
less continue to promote the ratification of its chemicals-related Conventions, to further increase
their impact, in particular Conventions Nos. 170 and 174.86
86 A decision in this regard has recently been taken by the ILO Governing Body, see the document GB.331/LILS/2, available at
https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_587514.pdf.
71
72
Annex 1
Table of ratifications of ILO Conventions
Convention Convention Convention Convention Convention Convention Convention

No. 170 No. 174 No. 148 No. 139 No. 155 No. 187 No. 161
Afghanistan x
Albania x x x
Algeria x
Antigua and Barbuda x x
Argentina x x x
Armenia x
Australia x
Austria x
Azerbaijan x
Bahrain x
Belarus x
Belgium x x x x x x x
Belize x
Benin x
Bosnia and Herzegovina x x x x x x
Brazil x x x x x x
Bulgaria x
Burkina Faso x x x
Cabo Verde x
Canada x
Central African Republic x
Chile x x
China x x
Colombia x x x
Costa Rica x
Croatia x x x x
Cuba x x x
Cyprus x x x
Czech Republic x x x x x
Côte d’Ivoire x x x
Denmark x x x x
Dominican Republic x x
Ecuador x x
Egypt x x
El Salvador x
Estonia x
Ethiopia x
Fiji x
Finland x x x x x x x
France x x x
Gabon x x
Germany x x x x x
Ghana x
Grenada x
73

No. 170 No. 174 No. 148 No. 139 No. 155 No. 187 No. 161
Guatemala x x
Guinea x x x
Guyana x x
Hungary x x x x
Iceland x x x
India x
Indonesia x
Iraq x x x
Ireland x x
Italy x x x
Japan x x
Kazakhstan x x x
Korea, Republic of x x x x
Kyrgyzstan x
Latvia x x
Lebanon x x x x
Lesotho x
Luxembourg x x x x x x
Malaysia x
Mali x
Malta x
Mauritius x x
Mexico x x x
Moldova, Republic of x x
Mongolia x
Montenegro x x x x x
Morocco x
Netherlands x x x x x
New Zealand x
Nicaragua x
Niger x x x x
Nigeria x
North Macedonia x x x x x
Norway x x x x x
Peru x
Philippines x
Poland x x x
Portugal x x x x
Russian Federation x x x x x
Rwanda x x
San Marino x x
Saudi Arabia x
Sao Tome and Principe x
Serbia x x x x x
Seychelles x x x
No. 170 No. 174 No. 148 No. 139 No. 155 No. 187 No. 161
Singapore x x
74
Slovakia x x x x x
Slovenia x x x x x x
South Africa x
Spain x x x
Sweden x x x x x x x
Switzerland x
Syrian Arab Republic x x x
Tajikistan x x
Tanzania x x
Thailand x
Togo x
Turkey x x x
Ukraine x x x x
United Kingdom x x x
Uruguay x x x
Venezuela, Bolivarian
x x
Republic of
Viet Nam x x
Zambia x x x
Zimbabwe x x x x
Overall number of countries which have ratified the above Conventions
All 109
C155 + C187 + C161 + C170 + C174 98
C155 + C187 + C170 + C174 94
C155 + C161 + C170 + C174 85
C155 + C170 + C174 80
C155 + C170 + C174 + C148 + C139 98
C155 + C170+ C174+ C148 93
75
Annex 2
Table of ILO member States which did not ratify any of the analysed
ILO Conventions
Afghanistan Malawi
Angola Maldives
Azerbaijan Malta
Bahamas Marshall Islands
Bangladesh Mauritania
Barbados Mozambique
Bolivia, Plurinational State of Myanmar
Botswana Namibia
Brunei Darussalam Nepal
Burundi Nicaragua
Cambodia Oman
Cameroon Pakistan
Chad Palau
Comoros Panama
Congo Papua New Guinea
Cook Islands Paraguay
Costa Rica Peru
Democratic Republic of the Congo Qatar
Djibouti Romania
Ecuador Saint Kitts and Nevis
Egypt Saint Lucia
Equatorial Guinea Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
Eritrea Samoa
Eswatini Senegal
Gambia Sierra Leone
Georgia Solomon Islands
Ghana Somalia
Greece South Sudan
Guinea - Bissau Sri Lanka
Haiti Sudan
Honduras Suriname
Iran, Islamic Republic of Switzerland
Israel Timor-Leste
Jamaica Tonga
Jordan Trinidad and Tobago
Kenya Tunisia
Kiribati Turkmenistan
Kuwait Tuvalu
Kyrgyzstan Uganda
Lao People’s Democratic Republic United Arab Emirates
Liberia United States
Libya Uzbekistan
Lithuania Vanuatu
Madagascar Yemen
76
ILO member States which did not ratify
Conventions Nos. 139, 148, 155, 187, 161, 170, 174,
Angola Malta
Bahamas Marshall Islands
Bangladesh Mauritania
Barbados Mozambique
Bolivia, Plurinational State of Myanmar
Botswana Namibia
Brunei Darussalam Nepal
Burundi Oman
Cambodia Pakistan
Cameroon Palau
Chad Panama
Comoros Papua New Guinea
Congo Paraguay
Cook Islands Qatar
Democratic Republic of the Congo Romania
Djibouti Saint Kitts and Nevis
Equatorial Guinea Saint Lucia
Eritrea Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Eswatini Samoa
Gambia Senegal
Georgia Sierra Leone
Greece Solomon Islands
Guinea – Bissau Somalia
Haiti South Sudan
Honduras Sri Lanka
Iran, Islamic Republic of Sudan
Israel Suriname
Jamaica Timor-Leste
Jordan Tonga
Kenya Trinidad and Tobago
Kiribati Tunisia
Kuwait Turkmenistan
Lao People’s Democratic Republic Tuvalu
Liberia Uganda
Libya United Arab Emirates
Lithuania United States
Madagascar Uzbekistan
Malawi Vanuatu
Maldives Yemen
77
ILO members which did not ratify any of the analysed Conventions
(i.e. Conventions Nos. 13, 155, 139, 148, 161, 167, 170, 174, 176, 184, 187)
Angola Namibia
Bahamas Nepal
Bangladesh Oman
Barbados Pakistan
Brunei Darussalam Palau
Burundi Papua New Guinea
Cook Islands Qatar
Equatorial Guinea Saint Kitts and Nevis
Eritrea Saint Lucia
Eswatini Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Gambia Samoa
Georgia Sierra Leone
Guinea-Bissau Solomon Islands
Haiti Somalia
Honduras South Sudan
Iran, Islamic Republic of Sri Lanka
Jamaica Sudan
Kenya Timor-Leste
Kiribati Tonga
Liberia Trinidad and Tobago
Libya Turkmenistan
Lithuania Tuvalu
Malawi United Arab Emirates
Maldives Uzbekistan
Marshall Islands Vanuatu
Myanmar Yemen
78
Annex 3
Overview of supervisory comments on ILO chemicals Conventions
Overview of the main comments of the ILO supervisory system on Convention No. 170
CEACR: 16 pending comments on the Convention, from 16 different States
CAS: 0 cases
art. 24: 1 representation in 2009 on Mexico
art. 26: 0 complaints
Overview of the comments
Major recurrent issues raised by the • lack of application of the Convention to certain branches
supervisory bodies of economy, e.g. a lack of coverage for informal workers
(Arts. 1 and 2) (Colombia, Obs, 2012)a or certain risks, e.g.
methane in mining (art. 24 Representation, Mexico, 2009)
• lack of establishment of a national policy on the use of
chemicals at work in consultation with employers and
workers (Arts. 3 and 4) (Colombia, Obs, 2012; Lebanon,
DR, 2010; Mexico, DR, 2015)
• lack of maintenance of records of hazardous chemicals used
at the workplace, including the accessibility of this informa-
tion to workers and their representatives (Art. 10) (Mexico,
DR, 2015; Tanzania, DR, 2015)
• lack of full implementation of the right of workers to remove
themselves in the event of imminent danger (Art. 18)
(Colombia, Obs, 2018; Dominican Republic, DR, 2017) and
• requests for information on compliance with the Convention
in practice, including the role of labour inspection (Brazil,
Obs, 2012; Burkina Faso, DR, 2016; Korea, DR, 2015;
Lebanon, DR, 2010)
• lack of compliance with the requirement of States exporting
chemicals, the use of which they prohibit, to notify the
importing country of their own prohibition and the chem-
ical’s dangers (Art. 19) (Lebanon, DR, 2016, 2015 and
2010; Brazil, DR, 2008 and 2007; Burkina Faso, DR,
2016; China, DR, 2003; Tanzania, DR, 2015)
Comments on each Part of the Convention
Endnotes for annexes: see page 107 79

PART I. SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS
Arts. 1 and 2: the Conventions apply to Supervisory comments: There have not been many comments
all branches of economic activity and on Part I. Issues highlighted by the CEACR and art. 24
covers the production, handling, storage, Committees mostly relate to a lack of protection of some types
transport, disposal and release of chem- of workers, e.g. agricultural workers in the informal sector
icals. It however allows ratifying States (Colombia, Obs, 2011 and 2012) or an exclusion of certain
to exclude partial branches of economic types of risks (e.g. methane gas in mining) (Mexico, art. 24
activity, which however has only rarely been representation, 2009).
used so far. The Convention applies to all
chemical substances except organisms and
products which will not expose workers to a
hazardous chemical under normal use.
PART II. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
Art. 3, consultation: social partners must Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR related to
be consulted on all measures to implement Part II mostly refer to Arts. 4 and 5. For Art. 4 they are mostly
the Convention. related to shortcomings in the establishment of the national
policy, e.g. with regard to the involvement of social partners
Art. 4, national policy: EACH ratifying State
(Lebanon, DR, 2010; Colombia, Obs, 2012) but also the lack
must, in consultation with the social part-
of a national policy specifically directed at chemical safety at
ners, formulate, implement and periodically
work (Mexico, DR, 2015) or the lack of sufficient coverage of
review a coherent policy on safety in the
certain types of risks, such as occupational cancer (Colombia,
use of chemicals at work.
Obs, 2012). They also refer to a lack of implementation of
Art. 5, prohibition and restriction: com- elements of the policy (e.g. the evaluation and authorization of
petent Authorities must have the power to chemicals) owing to the inadequate resources of implementing
prohibit or restrict hazardous chemicals or authorities (e.g. Norway, Obs, 2010 and 2005).
require authorization for their use
Comments on Art. 5 refer to delays in the adoption of lists of
restricted chemicals (China, DR, 2019, 2010 and 2006).
PART III. CLASSIFICATION AND RELATED MEASURES
Art. 6, classification: competent bodies Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR on Part III as
must establish systems and specific criteria a whole concern the failure to provide regulations on classi-
appropriate for the classification of all fication, labels and also SDS for non-hazardous chemicals
chemicals, and mixtures of chemicals, (Sweden, DR, 2005, 1998). Otherwise comments mostly refer
according to the type and degree of their to Art. 6, as well as Arts. 7 and 9.
hazards, taking into account the UN
Comments on Art. 6 refer to the failure to take into account
Recommendations on the transport of
all relevant risks in the classification system, e.g. risks to the
dangerous goods. The classification system
environment (China, DR, 2003 and 2006), or to extend the
must be progressively extended.
classification to all relevant chemicals (Zimbabwe, Obs, 2011,
Arts. 7 and 8, labels and SDS: chemicals 2010 and 2007). They also concern the failure to align the
must be labelled. The labels of hazardous national classification with binding international classification
chemicals must clearly explain their systems (such as the EU REACH system − Norway, Obs, 2010)
hazards. Employers must be provided with or the failure to take into account the UN Rec. on transport
SDS for hazardous chemicals. The format (Tanzania, DR, 2007).
and content of labels and SDS must be
Comments on Art. 7 relate to the failure to provide labels
prescribed by the competent body.
in a language and format understandable to the workers
Art. 9, suppliers: chemical suppliers must (Zimbabwe, DR, 2003)
ensure that the requirements of Arts. 6-8
Comments on Art. 9 refer to shortcomings in the law to oblige
are met for the chemicals they supply.
all suppliers to comply, such as legal loopholes (e.g. Korea, DR,
2015)b , as well as shortcomings in the implementation of such
laws (e.g. Norway, DR, 2003 and 2001 and Obs, 1999).
80
PART IV. RESPONSIBILITIES OF EMPLOYERS
Art. 10, identification: employers must Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to
ensure that all chemicals are properly Art. 10 refer to a failure to require employers to obtain informa-
labelled and have SDS and that only tion on unlabelled chemicals (Tanzania, DR, 2015 and 2011)
chemicals for which a classification, label or to use only classified chemicals and to maintain a register
and SDS have been prescribed by the of chemicals used (Mexico, DR, 2015 and 2010).
authority, are used. They must maintain an
open register of all hazardous chemicals in
use, crossreferenced with the SDS. They
also must ensure that chemicals are used
in accordance with the prescribed safety
precautions.
Art. 11, transfer of chemicals: employers Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to
must also ensure appropriate labelling Art. 11 refer to a lack of compliance of employers with the
when chemicals are transferred to different relabelling obligation (Poland, Obs, 2010).
containers.
Art. 12, exposure: employers must assess, Supervisory comments: comments of the CEACR relating to
monitor and record the exposure of workers Art. 12 refer to the failure to oblige employers to keep exposure
to hazardous chemicals and ensure that records for sufficient amounts of time (Germany, DR, 2018,
exposure limits are not exceeded. 2011 and 2010; Sweden, DR, 2005, 2003 and 1998; Finland,
DR, 2019).c They also relate to high frequency of non-com-
pliance by employers with the laws implementing the Article
(Poland, Obs, 2010; Brazil, Obs, 2012, 2010 and 2008).
Art. 13, operational control: employers Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to
must assess chemicals risks and appro- Art. 12 refer to an insufficient enforcement of the obligations
priately protect workers by the choice of for employers and a resultant reluctance of employers to
chemicals, technology, control measures, comply with assessment and protection obligations (Colombia,
working systems and practices, hygiene Obs, 2012 and 2011; Brazil, Obs, 2012, 2010 and 2008;
measures and, if the above are not Poland, Obs, 2010). Other comments refer to the absence of
sufficient, must provide personal protective legal obligations to provide and maintain personal protective
equipment to workers free of charge. equipment free of charge (Tanzania, DR, 2015) and the
absence of obligations to provide all workers exposed to
Employers also must limit the exposure of
chemicals with personal protective equipment, not only those
workers to hazardous chemicals to a safe
involved in hazardous activities (Tanzania, DR, 2011).
level and make arrangements to handle
emergencies and provide first aid.
Art. 14, disposal: employers must ensure Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to
disposal of chemicals, which minimizes Art. 14 refer to a lack of compliance of employers with laws
the risk to workers and the environment, in requiring the safe storage and disposal of waste containers for
accordance with national law. used chemicals. (Poland, Obs, 2010)
Art. 15, information and training: Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to
employers must inform workers of chemical Art. 15 refer to insufficient enforcement of the requirements
hazards, instruct them how to obtain for employers to train and instruct workers (Brazil, Obs, 2012,
and use the information on the label and 2010 and 2008; China, DR, 2011; Colombia, Obs, 2011;
SDS, develop safety instructions based on Poland, Obs, 2010). Comments also relate to insufficient obli-
the SDS and train the workers on safety gations in the national law, to provide training and instructions
procedures on a continuing basis. (China, DR, 2019; Zimbabwe, DR, 2006), including a lack of
obligations to train workers on SDS and labels (Tanzania, DR,
2015).
Art. 16, co-operation: employers must Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to
cooperate with workers and their represen- Art. 16 refer to shortcomings in regulations requiring joint OSH
tatives as closely as possible in discharging committees in enterprises, such as a lack of coverage of small
their responsibilities. enterprises (Burkina Faso, DR, 2016).
81
PART V. DUTIES OF WORKERS
Art. 17: workers must comply with chemical Supervisory comments: The CEACR has not commented
safety instructions of employers and must substantively on this Part.
cooperate as closely as possible with
employers in the discharge of their respon-
sibilities. They themselves must take all
reasonable steps to eliminate or minimize
chemical risks.
PART VI. RIGHTS OF WORKERS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVES
Art. 18: workers have the right to remove Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating
themselves from work situations with an to Part VI mostly refer to the absence of specific provisions
imminent danger or serious risk, without establishing the right of workers to remove themselves from
undue consequences. dangerous situations without undue consequences (Colombia,
Obs, 2018; Dominican Republic, DR, 2017; Lebanon, DR,
Workers also have the right to information
2016 and 2010; Mexico, DR, 2015 and 2010).
and training on the chemicals used and
their labels and SDS. Employers can
however conceal information on chemicals,
in accordance with regulations of the
competent authority, if disclosure of
information on the chemical to a competitor
could cause economic harm.
PART VII. RESPONSIBILITY OF EXPORTING STATES
Art. 19: if parties export chemicals which Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to
are prohibited in their country for OSH Art. 19 mostly refer to a lack of provisions to implement this
reasons, they must communicate this infor- obligation or a lack of information provided to the CEACR
mation and the reasons for the prohibition by the government on such regulations (e.g. Lebanon, DR,
to any importing country. 2016, 2015 and 2010; Brazil, DR, 2008 and 2007; Burkina
Faso, DR, 2016; China, DR, 2003; Tanzania, DR, 2015).
Some countries have implemented Art. 19 by requiring
exporting companies directly to provide the information to
importers, e.g. through SDS, in which case the CEACR asked
for information ensuring that the information provided by the
companies was sufficient and covered all the information
required by Art. 19 (Korea, DR, 2015).
(Arts. 20-27 are final and transitory provisions and are therefore not analysed)
82
Overview of the main comments of the ILO supervisory system on Convention No. 174
CEACR: 14 pending comments on the Convention, concerning 14 different States
CAS: 0 cases
art. 24: 0 representations
art. 26: 0 complaints
Overview of the comments
Major recurrent issues raised by the • A lack of implementation of the obligation of exporting
supervisory bodies States to provide information to importing States on the
prohibition of the use of hazardous substances, technolo-
gies or processes as a potential source of a major accident
(Art. 22) (Belgium, DR, 2011; India, DR, 2016; Russia,
DR, 2016; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015; Ukraine, DR, 2016;
and Zimbabwe, DR, 2015)
• Insufficient formulation, implementation and review of a
national policy (Art. 4) (Bosnia and Herzegovina, DR, 2013;
Brazil DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014)
• An inadequate system for the identification of major hazard
installations (Art. 5) (Brazil, DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs and
DR, 2014; Estonia, DR, 2011; Russia, DR, 2016; Saudi
Arabia, DR, 2015)
• Lack of regulations guaranteeing the protection of confiden-
tial information (Art. 6) (Brazil, DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs
and DR, 2014; Estonia, DR, 2011)
• Lack of employer responsibilities to ensure a documented
system of major hazard control (Art. 9) (Armenia, DR,
2014; Brazil, DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014;
Russia, DR, 2016; Ukraine, DR, 2016; Zimbabwe, DR,
2015); the provision of safety reports (Arts. 10, 11 and 12)
(Armenia, DR, 2014; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Saudi
Arabia, DR, 2015; Slovenia, DR, 2015; Ukraine, DR, 2016;
Zimbabwe, DR, 2015); and the notification of major hazard
installations (Art. 8) (Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Russia,
DR, 2016; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015; Zimbabwe, DR, 2015)
• Responsibilities of competent authorities in relation
to off-site emergency preparedness (Arts. 15 and 16)
(Netherlands, DR, 2015; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015) and
siting policies (Art. 17) (Brazil, DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs
and DR, 2014) and
• Lack of guarantee of rights of workers and their representa-
tives under the Convention, such as rights to be consulted
(Arts. 20 and 21) (Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Estonia,
DR, 2011; India, DR, 2016; Russian Federation, DR, 2016)
Comments on each Part of the Convention
83
PART I. SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS
Arts. 1 and 3: the Convention applies to Supervisory comments: CEACR comments on Part I mostly
all installations which handle, dispose or relate to the scope, as set by Arts. 1 and 3. They concern the
store any hazardous substance in quantities lack of coverage of certain branches of industrial activity
which exceed the threshold (major hazard (Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015).d
installations), excluding nuclear and military
installations and transport outside the site
of an installation other than by pipeline.
Member States can, after consultation of
stakeholders and social partners, exclude
certain types of installations or branches
of economic activity, for which equivalent
protection is provided.
Art. 2: where a member State is, owing to
special problems, unable to immediately
implement all safety measures under the
Convention, it must draw up and imple-
ment, in consultation with social partners
and stakeholders, a plan for the Conven-
tion’s progressive implementation.
PART II. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
Art. 4: each member State must, in Supervisory comments: CEACR comments on Art. 4 relate
consultation with social partners and other inter alia to the total lack of the formulation of a policy (Bosnia
affected parties, formulate, implement and Herzegovina, DR, 2013), the lack of a specific policy on
and periodically review a national policy on industrial accidents, apart from general OSH policies (Brazil
the protection of workers, the public and DR, 2016) or general disaster policies (Ukraine, DR, 2016).
the environment from major accidents. They also concern incomplete policies, e.g. addressing risks
The policy shall be implemented through only for workers and not also the public and the environment
preventative and protective measures and (Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014), or a lack of consultation with
shall, where practicable, promote best social partners during the policy’s formulation (Saudi Arabia,
available technologies. DR, 2015). Comments also refer to insufficient measures to
implement the policy (India, DR, 2016).
Art. 5: the competent body must, in Supervisory comments: Many CEACR comments on Art. 5
consultation with social partners and refer to several cases of a total lack of a system to identify
stakeholders, establish and regularly review installations (Brazil, DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014;
and update a system for the identification Estonia, DR, 2011; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015; Zimbabwe, DR,
of major hazard installations. 2015). Other comments relate to insufficient consultation of
social partners during the system’s implementation (Russia,
DR, 2016; Ukraine, DR, 2016) as well as a lack of review and
updating of the system (Ukraine, DR, 2016).
Art. 6: special provision for the protection Supervisory comments: CEACR comments on Art. 6 relate to
of confidential data transmitted in accor- the lack of sufficient regulations guaranteeing the protection
dance with the Convention (Art. 8, 12, 13, of confidential information transmitted by enterprises to the
14) must be made. authorities, to comply with the obligations of the Convention
(such as the obligation to notify major hazard installations and
accidents and to make available safety reports) (Brazil, DR,
2016; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014; Ukraine, DR, 2016).
84 Endnotes for annexes: see page 107

PART III. RESPONSIBILITIES OF EMPLOYERS
Art. 7, identification: employers must Supervisory comments: There are few comments of the CEACR
identify major hazard installations in their on Art. 7. In a few cases, however, the Committee noted a
enterprise, in accordance with the system failure of the government to name measures it adopted to
under Art. 5. implement the Art. (Brazil DR, 2012; Russia, DR, 2016; Saudi
Arabia, DR, 2011).
Art. 8, notification: employers must notify Supervisory comments: In a few cases, the CEACR noted a
the competent authority of every major failure of the government to name measures it adopted to
hazard installation they have identified, implement the notification requirement in general (Brazil, DR,
prior to putting it into operation. They must 2007) or concerning some types of installation (Zimbabwe,
also give notification of the closure of any DR, 2015).e Other comments also concerned the absence
installation. of regulations prescribing the notification of an installation’s
closure (Slovenia, DR, 2014) or a fixed time-frame for the
notification of the closure (Russia, DR, 2012).
Art. 9, arrangements at the installation: for Supervisory comments: In a few cases, the Committee noted
every major hazard installation, employers a total failure to adopt measures to implement Art. 9. (Brazil
must maintain a hazard control system DR, 2012).f In other comments it also noted insufficient
which covers risk assessment and the implementation, e.g. through regulations which only prescribe
identification and analysis of hazards, a few general requirements for the hazard control system, but
technical safety measures, organizational which do not address all of the specific requirements listed in
safety measures (training, instruction, the Article (Colombia, DR, 2014; Ukraine, DR, 2014 and 2016;
safety equipment, control of staffing levels Russia, DR, 2016; Brazil. DR, 2016; Zimbabwe, DR, 2015).
and working hours, definition of responsi-
Some comments also refer to the consultation requirements,
bilities and controls on outside contractors
noting a failure to adopt specific regulations on consultations
and temporary workers), emergency plans
with workers on the control system, apart from general consul-
and procedures, measures to limit the
tation requirements (Finland, DR, 2019).
consequences of a major accident.
The system must also include procedures
for consultation with workers and their rep-
resentatives and measures to improve the
system (information gathering and analysis
of accidents, recording and discussion with
workers of lessons learned).
Arts. 10, 11, and 12, safety report: Supervisory comments: Some comments of the CEACR on the
employers must prepare a safety report safety report obligations note a complete failure to implement
based on the requirements of Art. 9 before these requirements (Brazil, DR, 2012; Colombia, Obs, 2014).g
putting into operation a major hazard Further comments refer to shortcomings in the prescribed
installation. The report must be reviewed content of safety reports, e.g. incomplete implementation of
and updated in the event of a significant the requirement to report on all requirements listed in Art. 9
modification of the installation or in case (Armenia, DR, 2018; Ukraine, DR, 2016).
it becomes necessary due to technological
Other comments note that the national legislation does not
changes or a new hazard assessment.
prescribe time limits for the preparation of the safety reports
Otherwise it must be updated at intervals
in accordance with the Convention (Netherlands, DR, 2010) or
prescribed by law and at the request of the
does not require an update of the report under all the conditions
authorities.
listed in the Convention (Armenia, DR, 2018; Colombia, DR,
2018; Slovenia, DR, 2015).
Some comments of the CEACR also refer to a lack of enforce-
ment of regulations on safety reports, resulting in many
employers disrespecting the requirements (Zimbabwe, DR,
2015).

Arts. 13 and 14, accident reporting: Supervisory comments: There are only few substantive
employers must inform competent authori- comments of the CEACR on Arts. 13 and 14. Some of them,
ties as soon as a major accident occurs. however, note a complete failure to implement these Articles
They must, within a fixed time frame, (Brazil, DR, 2012; Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015; Colombia, DR,
present to the competent authority a 2018 and 2014).h Other comments note incomplete implemen-
detailed report, containing the analysis of tation, e.g. with regard to giving notification of the accident
the causes and consequences of the acci- without delay (Russia, DR, 2012) or an exclusion of certain
dent, the measures taken to mitigate it and economic sectors (e.g. all sectors except for mining) from the
recommendations to prevent recurrences. notification requirement (Ukraine, DR, 2014).
PART IV. RESPONSIBILITIES OF COMPETENT AUTHORITIES
Arts. 15 and 16, off-site emergency pre- Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR on off-site
paredness: authorities must establish and emergency requirements note a general lack of requirements
update emergency plans for the protection on the establishment of emergency plans (Zimbabwe, DR,
of the public and environment outside 2015) or at least a lack of regulations requiring a regular
each installation, taking into account the review and update of these plans (Russia, DR, 2016).
information provided by employers.
Other comments also refer to an absence of regulations to
Authorities must ensure that information on require authorities to inform the public of safety measures
safety measures and correct behaviour for and emergency plans (Netherlands, DR, 2015; Saudi Arabia,
accidents is disseminated to the concerned DR, 2015; Zimbabwe, DR, 2015) or to issue warnings and to
public, warning of accidents as soon as inform neighbouring States (Russia, DR, 2016).
possible and, in the event of transboundary
consequences, informing neighbouring
States.
Art. 17, siting of major hazard installations: Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR on siting
authorities must establish a comprehensive requirements refer to a lack of specific provisions to regulate
policy to distance installations from the siting of major hazard installations (Netherlands, DR, 2015;
residential areas and public facilities. Russia, DR, 2016; Brazil, DR, 2016; Colombia, Obs and DR,
2014).
Arts. 18 and 19, inspection: authorities Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR on inspec-
must have competent staff to inspect tion requirements refer to practical difficulties of inspection
installations and assess and advise on services to fulfil their duties, mostly related to insufficient
matters relevant to the Convention. Worker resources (Colombia, DR, 2018). They also indicate a lack of
and employer representatives have the explicit provisions allowing worker and employer representa-
right to accompany inspectors, unless it is tives to accompany inspectors (Russia, DR, 2016; Ukraine,
prejudicial to the inspector’s duties. DR, 2016 and 2014).
Authorities must have the right to suspend There have been no substantive comments on Art. 19 so far.
operations posing an imminent danger.
86
PART V. RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF WORKERS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVES
Art. 20, rights of workers: in order to Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating
ensure a safe work system, workers and to Part V mostly refer to Art. 20. They refer inter alia to
their representatives must be consulted shortcomings in the guarantee of the workers’ rights, such as
through cooperative mechanisms. They the lack of specific regulations on workers’ rights in relation to
must in particular be consulted on the industrial accidents, apart from general provisions on workers’
preparation of safety reports, emergency rights (Zimbabwe, DR, 2015; Colombia, Obs and DR, 2014;
plans and accident reports. Estonia, DR, 2011), the absence of guarantees of some of
the rights under Art. 20 such as the right to be informed,
Workers and representatives must also
consulted and to discuss and notify hazards (Russian
be informed on the hazards of all instal-
Federation, DR, 2016; Ukraine, DR, 2016), or the failure to
lations and on any safety instructions of
extend workers’ rights to their representatives (Saudi Arabia,
the authorities. They must be regularly
DR, 2015).
instructed and trained in practices and
procedures for the prevention of major Other comments also include the absence of concrete
accidents. regulations giving workers the right to corrective action in the
event of an imminent danger, without undue consequences
Workers also must have the right to take
(India, DR, 2016).
corrective action and if necessary remove
themselves from imminent danger of a
major industrial accident, without undue
consequences. They must also be allowed
to discuss with their employer any hazards
they consider capable of generating major
accidents and to notify such hazards to the
authorities.
Art. 21, duties of workers: workers at major
hazard installations must comply with all
safety and emergency procedures relating
to the installation.
PART VI. RESPONSIBILITY OF EXPORTING STATES
Art. 22: Member States exporting Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR on Art. 22
hazardous substances, technologies or relate to either a complete a lack of implementation of the
processes which they have prohibited obligation (India, DR, 2016; Russia, DR, 2016; Ukraine, DR,
as potential source of major industrial 2016; Zimbabwe, DR, 2015), or shortcomings such as the
accidents must inform importing countries absence of legal requirements obliging the government to
on the prohibition and the reasons for it. provide the information (Belgium, DR, 2011), or the failure
to also regulate the provision of information for the export of
technologies and processes (Saudi Arabia, DR, 2015).
(PART. VII ONLY CONTAINS FINAL AND TRANSITORY PROVISIONS AND IS THEREFORE NOT ANALYSED)
87
Overview of the main comments of the ILO supervisory system

on chemical specific Convention of the ILO
This list covers Conventions Nos. 139, 148, 162 and 136
Number of comments CEACR: 36 pending comments on the Convention, concerning 34 different States
CAS: 3 cases (Peru, 1992, Guinea, 1991, 1989)
Art. 24: 1 representation in 1987 on Germany (unreceivable)
Art. 26: 0 complaints
Major recurrent issues • Insufficient implementation of the requirement for health checks of workers
raised by the supervi- during and after employment (Art. 5) (Nicaragua, DR, 2000; Croatia, DR, 2006;
sory bodies Denmark, DR, 2010; Argentina, DR, 2003; Slovenia, DR, 2004; Slovakia, DR,
2013 and 2011)
• Insufficient inspection services to supervise the Convention’s application
(Art. 6(c)) (Japan, DR, 2016; Finland, DR, 2006; Brazil, Obs, 2010; Hungary,
DR, 2017; Uruguay, Obs, 2010; Venezuela, DR, 2015) and
• Insufficient systems to record carcinogens and the associated risks (Art. 3)
(Nicaragua, DR, 2000; Guyana, Obs, 2004; Egypt, DR, 1998)
CONVENTION No. 148, WORKING ENVIRONMENT (AIR POLLUTION, NOISE AND VIBRATION)
CONVENTION, 1977
CAS: 0 cases
Art. 24: 1 representation in 1987 on Germany (unreceivable)
Major recurrent issues • Failure to ensure cooperation of two or more employers engaged in the same
raised by the supervi- workplace regarding safety measures against air pollution (Art. 6) (China-Macau,
sory bodies DR, 2019; Tajikistan, DR, 2019; Azerbaijan, Obs, 2018; Ecuador, Obs, 2003;
Guatemala, DR, 2016; Russia, DR, 2016; Seychelles, DR, 2015; Spain, Obs,
2015)
• Lack of exposure limits on air pollution at work (Art. 8) (China-Macau, DR,
2019; Finland, Obs, 1995; San Marino, DR, 2010; Anguilla, Obs, 2006; Iraq,
DR, 2016; Tanzania, DR, 2010).
• A complete lack of or insufficient criteria laid down to assess the all occupa-
tional hazards related to air pollution (Art. 8) (Finland, Obs, 1995; San Marino,
DR, 2010; Tanzania, DR, 2010)
• Lack of regular revision of exposure limits and criteria to determine hazards due
to air pollution (Art. 8) (Egypt, DR, 1994)
• Lack of provisions requiring employers to provide workers with personal pro-
tective equipment in the event that air pollution hazards cannot be mitigated
(Art. 10) (Guinea, Obs, 2009) and to prohibit employers from letting workers
work without personal protective equipment (Art. 10) (China-Macau, DR, 2019;
Guatemala, DR, 2016)
• Lack of regular health checks for workers exposed to air pollution (Art. 11(1))
(Costa Rica, Obs, 2008), or lack of checks prior to hazardous assignments
(Art. 11(1)) (Ecuador, Obs, 2003)
• Lack of regulations requiring the provision of alternative employment or the
maintenance of income for workers removed from hazardous occupations
(Art. 11(3)). (Hungary, Obs, 2012; Germany, DR, 2011; Malta, DR, 2013;
Montenegro, DR, 2015; Tanzania, DR, 2015)

CONVENTION No. 162, ASBESTOS CONVENTION, 1986
CAS: 4 cases (Croatia, 2011, 2008, 2006, 2003)
Art. 24: 0 representations
Major recurrent issues • the need for the adoption of specific legislation on the prevention and control
raised by the supervi- of, and protection of workers against, the specific health hazards due to
sory bodies occupational exposure to asbestos (Bosnia and Herzegovina, DR, 2013; Bolivia,
Obs, 2016; Cameroon, Obs, 2016; Guatemala, Obs, 2016; Kazakhstan, DR,
2016; Uruguay, DR, 2015)
• the need for periodic review of national law and regulations in the light of
technical progress and advances in scientific knowledge (Art. 3(2)) (Colombia,
Obs, 2016; Uganda, DR, 2016; Spain, Obs, 2015; Uruguay, DR, 2015;
Zimbabwe, Obs, 2015)
• the need for adequate labelling of products containing asbestos (Art. 14)
(Colombia, Obs, 2016; Portugal, DR, 2016)
• the need for adequate protective processes by employers or contractors during
demolition work and the removal of asbestos (Art. 17) (Australia, DR, 2014,
Colombia, Obs, 2016, Ecuador, DR, 2016, Guatemala, Obs, 2016, Japan, Obs,
2016, Uganda, DR, 2016)
• the need to provide medical examination to workers after exposure to asbestos,
including after the termination of employment, as well as the provision of
compensation for workers diagnosed with occupational diseases caused by
exposure to asbestos (Art. 21) (Montenegro, DR, 2015; Sweden, DR, 2015;
Croatia, Obs, 2014; Spain, Obs, 2015)
• insufficient information provided by governments on the application of the
Convention in practice, including in relation to labour inspection activities, sta-
tistics on workers exposed to asbestos and on workers affected by occupational
diseases caused by asbestos (Bosnia and Herzegovina, DR, 2013; Cameroon,
Obs, 2016; Ecuador, DR, 2016; Japan, Obs, 2016; Kazakhstan, DR, 2016;
Netherlands, Obs, 2015; Russian Federation, DR, 2016; North Macedonia, DR,
2015; Uganda, DR, 2016; Serbia, DR, 2015; Zimbabwe, Obs, 2015)
• lack of due consideration given to technological progress and advances in
scientific knowledge, including the latest recommendations of the IARC,
according to which all forms of asbestos are classified as human carcinogens
(see e.g., Colombia, DR, 2016, and Zimbabwe, Obs, 2015).
CONVENTION No. 136, BENZENE CONVENTION, 1971
CAS: 4 cases (Ivory Coast, 1994; Morocco, 1993, 1988; Spain, 1992)
Art. 24: 0 representations

Major recurrent issues • the need to adopt specific safety measures in the national legislation relating
raised by the supervi- to benzene, mainly the requirements on protective measures against the risk of
sory bodies exposure to liquid benzene (Art. (8)) (Colombia, Obs, 2017; Guinea, Obs, 2014;
CAS, Morocco, 1993), the full prohibition of the use of benzene as a solvent or
diluent (Art. 4) (Bolivia, Obs, 2019; Colombia, Obs, 2016; Zambia, Obs, 2016;
Ivory Coast, Obs, 1994; CAS, Ivory Coast, 1994), the replacement of benzene
with less harmful substances (Art. 2) (Ivory Coast, Obs, 1994; CAS, Ivory Coast,
1994), the prescription of hygiene and technical measures to protect workers
(Art. 5) (Colombia, Obs, 2017), the constant measurement of benzene concen-
tration in the air (Art. 6) (Guinea, Obs, 2014; Kuwait, Obs, 2016) and regular
health checks of workers (Art. 9) (Colombia, Obs, 2017) and
• the absence of statistics on the application of the Convention in practice (Guyana,
Obs, 2018; Bosnia, DR, 2012; Colombia, Obs, 2010; Chile, DR, 2006)
90
Overview of the main comments of the ILO supervisory system on sectoral
Conventions on chemicals of the ILO
This list cover Convention No. 184, Convention No. 176 and Convention No. 167
CONVENTION NO. 184 SAFETY AND HEALTH IN AGRICULTURE CONVENTION, 2001
Number of comments CEACR: • 16 pending comments on the Convention, concerning 15 different States
• 2017 General Survey on Sectoral OSH Conventions
Major recurrent issues • Inability of governments to name an authority competent for the establishment of
raised by the supervi- a system for the importation, classification, packaging and labelling of chemicals
sory bodies (Art. 12(1)(a)) (Argentina, DR, 2012)
• The lack of regulations requiring providers of chemicals to inform the users,
including workers, of the associated risks (Art. 12(b)) (Ukraine, DR, 2016;
Argentina, Obs, 2017; Moldova, DR, 2016)
• Failure to establish a suitable system for the collection, recycling and disposal of
chemical waste, managed by the authorities (Art. 12(c)) (Burkina Faso, DR, 2016;
Portugal, DR, 2017; Moldova, DR, 2016)
• Failure to prescribe the implementation of preventative and protective measures
against chemical hazards (Art. 13) (Sao Tome and Principe, DR, 2016; Argentina,
Obs, 2017; Ghana, DR, 2019)
• Legislation implementing Arts. 12, 13 and 14 only covering some of the relevant
chemicals, e.g. pesticides, but not other relevant types of chemicals (Burkina
Faso, DR, 2013)
CONVENTION NO. 167 SAFETY AND HEALTH IN CONSTRUCTION CONVENTION
Number of comments CEACR: • 30 pending comments on the Convention, concerning 27 different States
Major recurrent issues • Lack of regulations requiring the replacement of hazardous substances with less
raised by the supervi- hazardous ones wherever possible (Art. 28(2)(a)) (Lesotho, DR, 2010)
sory bodies
• Lack of regulations on safety measures relating to the disposal of hazardous
chemicals and asbestos (Art. 28(4)) (Malaysia, CEACR, General Survey 2017,
para. 389)
• Lack of implementation of the principle that the mitigation of risks by providing
personal protective equipment shall only be used when preventative safety
measures are insufficient (Art. 28(2)(c)) (Belarus, DR, 2012)
• Lack of compliance of employers with safety regulations on the handling of haz-
ardous substances (Art. 28) (Dominican Republic, CEACR, General Survey 2017,
para. 389; China, DR, 2019 and 2013) and on requirements for the provision of
personal protective equipment (Art. 28(2)(c)) (China, DR, 2019 and 2013)
• Failure to require the appointment of competent persons for the handling of
explosives (Art. 27) (Guatemala, DR, 2016; Lesotho, DR, 2006; Belarus, DR,
2017; China-Macau, DR, 2012; Italy, DR, 2012)
CONVENTION NO. 176 SAFETY AND HEALTH IN MINES CONVENTION, 1995
Number of comments CEACR: • 29 pending comments on the Convention, concerning 26 different States.
91
Major recurrent issues • Lack of regulations requiring the training and information of workers on chemical
raised by the supervi- risks (Art. 9(a)) (Zambia, DR, 2013)
sory bodies
• Lack of regulations on the provision to workers of free protective equipment
against chemicals (Art. 9(c)) (USA, DR, 2010; Albania, DR, 2018)
• Lack of regulations on appropriate medical facilities and transportation for injured
workers (Art. 9(d)) (Albania, DR, 2018; Finland, DR, 2016; Brazil, DR, 2011)
92
Annex 4
Overview of the synergies between ILO instruments and the BRS
and Minamata Conventions
BASEL CONVENTION ON THE CONTROL OF TRANSBOUNDARY MOVEMENTS OF HAZARDOUS WASTES

AND THEIR DISPOSAL
Synergies with ILO • Basel only overlaps with ILO Conventions concerned with hazardous waste
Conventions
• Overlap with Basel obligations on import and export of hazardous waste:
•O verlap not substantial, ILO Conventions mostly focus on management of
chemicals within States
•E
xport of hazardous chemicals: Art. 19 of Convention No. 170 and Art. 22 of
Convention No. 174 both require States exporting chemical substances whose
use they prohibit to inform the importing country including the reasons for the
prohibition. “Substances” in this regard can also include waste
•B
asel also contains such notification requirements (Arts. 6, 4(2)(f)(h) and (7)(b)
and (c))), which are however much more extensive, since for example they also
require a general system for the recording of waste movement
•H
owever Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 only refer to prohibition of the “use” of
the substances, which does not cover the disposal of waste; they apply only to the
export of waste which is further “used”, e.g. recycled.
• Overlap with Basel obligations on environmentally sound management of waste:
• Greater overlap with ILO Conventions
•B
oth Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 generally cover the disposal of hazardous
chemicals (Art. 3(c) of Convention No. 174 and Art. 2(c)(v) of Convention No. 170).
In addition Convention No. 162 covers the disposal of asbestos (Art. 17(2)(c)),
Convention No. 167 covers the disposal of chemicals used in construction (Art.
28(4)), and Convention No. 184 covers the disposal of pesticides and other
chemicals used in agriculture (Art. 12(c)).
•T
he ILO Conventions are however much more detailed and specific as they contain
a whole range of different obligations on concrete safety measures rather than the
very short and general obligations of the Basel Convention (there exist however
official implementation guidelines for the Basel Convention)
• Approach of the ILO and the Basel Convention on waste differs:
•T
he ILO takes an inclusive life-cycle approach to chemicals and waste, the
concept of “waste” being not a stand-alone issue, but rather inherently intercon-
nected to the life-cycle of production processes across all sectors
• The
Basel Convention mostly focuses on movement and disposal of waste, not its
production
Strengths of Basel High ratification rate (187), covering all relevant countries exporting and importing
hazardous waste, except the USA.
•T
he high rate can also be explained by the Convention’s prohibition on importing
or exporting any waste to or from any non-party. This mechanism creates a high
incentive for every State involved in the movement of hazardous waste to become
“part of the club”.
•A
mendment mechanisms for the Convention and its Annexes, which allow for an
evolution and adaptation of the Convention.
93
Limitations of Basel Overall problem is limited content of obligations:

• weak obligations on import/export of waste
-m
ain import/export obligation is “prior informed consent” procedure, which,
by many commentators, has been considered as legitimizing the trade of
hazardous waste rather than preventing it.
- a dditional prohibition on exporting any waste which can be disposed of in the
country of origin has also not been effective, as many countries use a
“loophole” in Art. 4(9)(b) by declaring the waste as being used for recycling
- a mendment of Convention to include complete ban of export of hazardous
waste from developed to developing countries (“Basel Ban”) failed, even
though it was established at regional level (see e.g. the Bamako Conventioni or
EU Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 of 14 June 2006j)
• list of hazardous waste in the Annex is conclusive and does not contain a
“catch-all” clause for other chemicals. The Annex needs amendment in the event
of newly-emerging hazards
• the content of the provisions on the sound management of waste within member
States is also quite limited, as provisions are kept broad and vague and also
contain qualifiers (e.g. “to the extent possible”).
- e ven though they have been complemented by detailed guidelines (see above),
their impact has therefore been quite limited. i.e. these obligations have so far
also only been marginally treated in the Convention’s implementation reports.k
Basel’s supervisory mechanism is not as elaborate as ILO’s
•B asel has a reporting-based supervisory system which, however, is not as
sophisticated as ILO’s, as it only includes an expert committee, but not other
complementary supervisory bodies such as the CAS.
•B
asel provides for a complaints system (“submissions”), but it only allows
substantive submissions by either the non-compliant State and other State
parties, but not non-government actors. Such State-to-State complaint
mechanisms have however proved less effective as States tend to avoid blaming
other States for non-compliance.l
ROTTERDAM CONVENTION ON THE PRIOR INFORMED CONSENT PROCEDURE

FOR CERTAIN HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS AND PESTICIDES IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Synergies with ILO Rotterdam is exclusively concerned with the import and export of chemicals. It
Conventions therefore has very little overlap with ILO Conventions.
•A
s with Basel, however, there is an overlap with the obligation in Art. 19 of
Convention No. 170 and Art. 22 of Convention No. 174 for States exporting
chemicals, the use of which they prohibit, to inform the importing country.
•R
otterdam also includes such notification requirements, which are however more
far-reaching, as the notification must contain much more different information,
and there are also additional requirements on the labelling and marking of the
exported chemicals and also general requirements on information exchange
about hazardous chemicals between parties.
Strengths of Rotterdam High ratification rate (161), including almost all major chemical exporter and
importers, except for the USA.
• the high rate can also be explained by special mechanisms in the Convention,
which incentivise ratification by giving benefits to ratifying countries (e.g. mech-
anism in Arts. 10 and 11, according to which parties can give notification of all
chemicals which they do not wish to import, and are thereby ensured that the
export of these chemicals to their country from all other parties is banned)
Amendment procedures for Annex II, but also the other parts of the Convention,
which allow quicker adaptation of the Convention’s text to scientific or other
developments.
94
Limitations of Content and strength of the obligations
Rotterdam
• the main obligation regarding the import/export of chemicals is only a prior
informed consent procedure, which does not ban or restrict the use of certain very
hazardous chemicals but merely ensures that States must consent to their import
and are properly informed about their hazards.
•u
nlike Basel, Rotterdam does not contain any substantive provisions on the
management of chemicals.
he Convention only applies to a conclusive list of chemicals and does not contain a
T
“catch-all” clause for other hazardous chemicals.
• Rotterdam needs amendment to cover new emerging hazards
• the current Convention lacks a number of major hazardous chemicals, such as
chrysolite asbestos, inclusion of which was refused 8 times.m
• the Convention does not have a properly functioning supervisory system similar to
the ILO Conventions.
STOCKHOLM CONVENTION ON PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS
Synergies with ILO •S

tockholm only applies to POPs. ILO Conventions do not specifically address
Conventions POPs; however they are covered by the general obligations in Conventions
Nos. 170 and 155. In this respect, the overlap is large.
•S
tockholm mainly focuses on the prohibition or at least strong restriction on the
use of POPs.
- ILO Conventions relating to chemicals such as Convention No. 170 do not
contain such prohibitions or restrictions of specific chemicals but generally
prescribe the adoption of measures to prevent and mitigate risks relating to any
chemical.
-A
s many of the POPs in the Convention are very hazardous, it is likely that the
exposure of workers to a large number of the chemicals covered by Stockholm
would also be prohibited under the general obligation in Art. 12(a) of
Convention No. 170 to prevent the exposure of workers to chemicals exceeding
exposure limits.
Strengths of •H
igh ratification rate (152), ratifying States include most major users and producers
Stockholm of chemicals, except for the USA
•O
bligations on covered POPs are quite strong ( mostly require a complete ban or at
least a very strong restriction of the covered substances)
•A
mendment procedure for the Convention, which allows for quicker adaptation of
the Convention’s text to new scientific findings.
Limitations of • The
Convention has limited scope, as it only applies to POPs and to no other types
Stockholm of chemicals.
• The
Convention does not contain a general clause applying to all POPs but only
covers the substances listed in its Annexes. In the event of the discovery of new
POPs, the Convention therefore has to be amended.
•T
he Convention lacks a properly functioning supervisory system similar to the ILO
Conventions.
95
MINAMATA CONVENTION ON MERCURY
Synergies with ILO •M

inamata is solely focused on mercury, there is therefore only overlap with ILO
Conventions Conventions covering mercury.
•T
here is no ILO Convention specifically addressed at mercury. Mercury is however
covered by the general chemicals Conventions (Conventions Nos. 170, 174 and also
155), which cover all chemical risks.
•C
onvention No. 176 on mining is also of specific importance for this issue, as it
covers the important issue of use of mercury in mining. Convention No. 176 in this
regard complements the Minamata Convention, as Minamata mostly focuses on
mercury use in small scale and artisanal gold mining, while Convention No. 176 also
covers the use of other hazardous chemicals in gold mining.
•N
ext to mining, among the different obligations contained in Minamata, Art. 5 on
manufacturing processes involving mercury has the most overlap with ILO Conven-
tions.
-W
hile Minamata prohibits or severely restricts the use of mercury, ILO chemical
Conventions such as Nos. 170 and 174 do not explicitly ban certain substances
but contain more general provisions on measures to prevent chemical hazards.
-h owever, it is likely that at least some of the work processes listed in the
Minamata Convention are sufficiently hazardous also to require their ban under
the obligation to prevent exposure of workers to chemicals beyond exposure
limits in Art. 12 of Convention No. 170.
•M
ercury is also addressed in the ILO List of Occupational Diseases Recommen-
dation, which includes occupational diseases caused by mercury or its toxic
compounds.
Strengths of Minamata •R
elatively high ratification rate (112), which is lower than BRS but higher than the
rate for ILO chemicals Conventions. Minamata was adopted quite recently, so it can
be expected that the ratification rate will continue to grow.
•A
mendment procedure for the Convention, which allows for more rapid adaptation
of the Convention’s text to new scientific findings.
•T
he obligations on the covered mercury-added products and manufacturing
processes are quite strong, as they mostly require a complete ban or at least a very
strong restriction.
Limitations of •L
imited scope, as it only applies to mercury and to no other types of chemical.
Minamata
•T
he Convention does not even apply to all mercury-added products and manu-
facturing processes using mercury. ILO Conventions can fill these gaps left by
Minamata (e.g. Convention No. 176 also covers non-artisanal mining, which is not
covered by Minamata).
•A
s regards the supervisory system, it can at least be noted that, unlike Stockholm
and Rotterdam, the Convention has a supervisory mechanism which has however
not yet started operating. It remains to be seen how this mechanism develops over
the coming years.

Annex 5
Overview of the synergies between ILO instruments and SAICM
Current Strategic Objectives and Targets as Deliberated at OEWG3
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE A: [Measures are identified, implemented and enforced in order to prevent or, where
not feasible, minimize harm from chemicals throughout their life-cycle [and waste]]
Target A.1 Implementation and periodic review of a coherent policy on safety in the use of
Countries adopt, chemicals at work (Convention No. 170, Art. 4; Convention No. 174, Art. 4; Con-
implement and enforce vention No. 155, Art. 4-7; Convention No. 161, Art. 2; Convention No. 187, Art. 3;
legal frameworks that Convention No. 176, Art. 3 (mining); Convention No. 184, Art. 4(1), (2) (agriculture))
address risk prevention
ower of competent authority to prohibit and restrict dangerous chemicals
P
and the reduction of
(Convention No. 170, Art. 5; Convention No. 155, Art. 11(b); Convention No. 148,
adverse impacts from
Art. 12 (air pollution); Convention No. 139, Art. 1 (carcinogens); Convention
chemicals throughout
No. 136, Art. 4 (Benzene); Convention No. 162, Arts. 11, 12 (asbestos))
their life-cycle and
waste. revention of chemical risks (risk assessment and risk elimination/minimization,
P
incl. exposure limits, replacement of hazardous substances, prevention of leakage/
emission, safe storage) (Convention No. 170, Arts. 10-13; Convention No. 174 Art.
9(a)-(b), (g); Convention No. 155, Art. 16(1)-(2); Convention No. 161, Arts. 5-15;
Convention No. 148, Arts. 8, 9, 11, 14 (air pollution); Convention No. 139, Arts.
2, 3, 5 (carcinogens); Convention No. 162, Arts. 3, 9, 15 (asbestos); Convention
No. 136, Art. 6 (benzene); Convention No. 167, Art. 28(1)-(3) (construction); Con-
vention No. 176, Art. 9(b)-(c) (mining); Convention No. 184, Art. 13 (agriculture))
rotection of workers against adverse effects of chemicals exposure (protective
P
equipment, emergency plans, first aid) (Convention No. 170, Arts. 13(1)(f) and
(2)(b)-(c); Convention No. 174, Arts. 9 (c), (d) and (e), 15, 16 (major hazard
installations); Convention No. 155, Arts. 16(3), 18; Convention No. 161, Arts. 5(e)
and (j); Convention No. 148, Art. 10 (air pollution); Convention No. 162, Arts. 6(3),
15(4) (asbestos); Convention No. 167, Arts. 28(2)(c), 31 (construction); Convention
No. 176, Arts. 5(4)(a), 9(c) and(d) (mining))
nvironmentally sound disposal of waste containing hazardous substances
E
(Convention No. 170, Art. 14; Convention No. 174, Art. 3(c) (installations for
disposal of hazardous chemicals); Convention No. 167, Art. 28(4) (chemicals in
construction); Convention No. 184, Arts. 12(c), 13(d) (chemicals in agriculture);
Convention No. 162, Art. 17(c) (asbestos waste))
ppropriate inspection to ensure implementation (Convention No. 174, Art. 18;
A
Convention No. 155, Art. 9; Convention No. 187, Art. 4(2)(c); Convention No. 148,
Art. 16 (air pollution); Convention No. 139, Art. 6(c) (carcinogens); Convention
No. 162, Art. 5 (asbestos); Convention No. 136, Art. 14(c) (benzene); Convention
No. 167, Art. 35(b) (construction); Convention No. 176, Art. 5(b) (mining);
Convention No. 184, Art. 5 (agriculture))
Countries have chemicals at work (Convention No. 170, Art. 4; Convention No. 174, Art. 4; Con-
sufficient capacity to vention No. 155, Arts. 4-7; Convention No. 161, Art. 2; Convention No. 187, Art. 3;
address chemicals Convention No. 176, Art. 3 (mining); Convention No. 184, Art. 4(1), (2) (agriculture))
and waste issues
Tripartism and involvement of social partners at national level (Convention No. 170,
nationally, including
Arts. 3, 4; Convention No. 174, Arts. 4(1), 5(1), 6(1); Convention No. 155, Arts.
appropriate inter-
4(1), 8; Convention No. 161, Arts. 2, 4; Convention No. 187, Arts. 2(3), 3(3), 4(1),
agency coordination
5(1); Convention No. 148, Art. 5(1) (air pollution); Convention No. 139, Art. 6(a);
and stakeholder partic-
Convention No. 162, Arts. 3(3), 4 (asbestos); Convention No. 136, Arts. 3(1), 9(2)
ipation mechanisms,
(benzene); Convention No. 167, Arts. 1(2), 3(construction); Convention No. 176,
such as national action
Arts. 2(2), 3 (mining); Convention No. 184, Art. 8(4) (agriculture))
plans.

Target A.3 All ILO Chemicals Conventions are relevant chemicals (and waste) related multi-
Countries are imple- lateral agreements
menting the chemicals
Convention No. 170 covers all aspects of the GHS (classification (Art. 6), labelling
and waste-related
(Art. 7), SDS (Art. 8), information and training of workers (Art. 15))
multilateral environ-
mental agreements, as
well as health, labour
and other relevant
Conventions, and
voluntary mechanisms
such as the GHS
Target A.4 Implementation and periodic review of a coherent policy on safety in the use
Stakeholders have of chemicals at work (Convention No. 170, Art. 4; Convention No. 174, Art. 4;
incorporated the Convention No. 155, Arts. 4-7; Convention No. 161, Art. 2; Convention No. 187,
sound management of Art. 3; Convention No. 176, Art. 3 (mining); Convention No. 184, Arts. 4(1), (2)
c hemicals throughout (agriculture))
their life-cycle and
Power of competent authority to prohibit and restrict dangerous chemicals (Conven-
waste into their
tion No. 170, Art. 5; Convention No. 155, Art. 11(b); Convention No. 148, Art. 12
planning, policies and
(air pollution); Convention No. 139, Art. 1 (carcinogens); Convention No. 136, Art.
practices, thereby
4 (Benzene); Convention No. 162, Arts. 11, 12 (asbestos); Convention No. 184, Art.
supporting the
12(a) (agriculture))
development and
implementation of Prevention of chemical risks (risk assessment and risk elimination/minimization,
chemical management incl. exposure limits, replacement of hazardous substances, prevention of leakage/
systems and other emission, safe storage) (Convention No. 170, Arts. 10-13; Convention No. 174 Art.
sector-appropriate 9(a)-(b), (g); Convention No. 155, Art. 16(1)-(2); Convention No. 161, Arts. 5-15;
mechanisms Convention No. 148, Arts. 8, 9, 11, 14 (air pollution); Convention No. 139, Arts.
Protection of workers against adverse effects of chemicals exposure (protective
equipment, emergency plans, first aid) (Convention No. 170, Arts. 13(1)(f) and
installations); Convention No. 155, Arts. 16(3), 18; Convention No. 161, Art. 5(e)
98
Governments and chemicals at work (Convention No. 170, Art. 4; Convention No. 174, Art. 4; Con-
industry ensure vention No. 155, Arts. 4-7; Convention No. 161, Art. 2; Convention No. 187, Art. 3;
that workers are Convention No. 176, Art. 3 (mining); Convention No. 184, Art. 4(1), (2) (agriculture))
protected from the
Power of competent authority to prohibit and restrict dangerous chemicals (Conven-
risks associated with
tion No. 170, Art. 5; Convention No. 155, Art. 11(b); Convention No. 148, Art. 12
chemicals and waste
(air pollution); Convention No. 139, Art. 1 (carcinogens); Convention No. 136, Art.
and that workers have
4 (Benzene); Convention No. 162, Arts. 11, 12 (asbestos); Convention No. 184, Art.
the means to protect
12(a) (agriculture))
themselves
Prevention of chemical risks (risk assessment and risk elimination/ minimization,
incl. exposure limits, replacement of hazardous substances, prevention of leakage/
emission, safe storage) (Convention No. 170, Arts. 10-13; Convention No. 174 Art.
9(a)-(b), (g); Convention No. 155, Art. 16(1)-(2); Convention No. 161, Arts. 5-15;
Convention No. 148, Arts. 8, 9, 11, 14 (air pollution); Convention No. 139, Arts.
Protection of workers against adverse effects of chemicals exposure (protective
equipment, emergency plans, first aid) (Convention No. 170, Art. 13(1)(f) and
installations); Convention No. 155, Arts. 16(3), 18; Convention No. 161, Art. 5(e)
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE B: Comprehensive and sufficient knowledge, data and information are generated,
available and accessible to all to enable informed decisions and actions
Target B.1 Classification and appropriate labelling/marking of chemicals (Convention No. 170,
Comprehensive data Arts. 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11; Convention No. 162, Art. 14 (asbestos); Convention
and information for No. 184, Art. 12(a) (agriculture))
chemicals on the
Promotion of research on chemical hazards (Convention No. 155, Art. 12(c);
market are available
Convention No. 187, Art. 4(3)(e); Convention No. 148, Art. 14 (air pollution))
and accessible,
including information SDS for workers (Convention No. 170, Art. 8, 10(1))
and data on prop-
Information and training of workers on chemical hazards (Convention No. 170,
erties, health and
Art. 15; Convention No. 174, Arts. 9(c), 20(d) and (e); Convention No. 155, Arts.
environmental effects,
5(c), 14, 19(d); Convention No. 161, Art. 5(i); Convention No. 187, Art. 4(3)(c);
uses, hazard- and
Convention No. 148, Art. 7(2) (air pollution); Convention No. 139, Art. 4
risk-assessment results
(carcinogens); Convention No. 162, Art. 22(2) and (3) (asbestos); Convention
and risk-management
No. 167, Art. 33 (construction); Convention No. 176, Art. 10(a) (mining);
measures, monitoring
Convention No. 184, Art. 7(b) (agriculture))
results and regulatory
status throughout their
life-cycle
Target B.2 Consideration of latest scientific knowledge when determining prohibited/restricted

All stakeholders, in substances, exposure levels and other chemical safety measures (Convention
particular industries No. 155, Art. 12(c); Convention No. 139, Art. 1(3) (carcinogens), Convention
and regulators, have No. 149, Art. 8(3) (air pollution); Convention No. 162, Art. 15(2) (asbestos))
and are using the most
Periodic review of policies on chemicals (Convention No. 170, Art. 4; Convention
appropriate and
No. 174, Arts. 4, 11, 15; Convention No. 155, Arts. 4-7; Convention No. 161,
standardized tools,
Art. 2; Convention No. 187, Arts. 3, 5; Convention No. 176, Art. 3 (mining);
guidelines and best
Convention No. 184, Art. 4(1), (2) (agriculture))
practices for assess-
ments and sound
management, as well
as for the prevention
of harm, risk reduc-
tion, monitoring and
enforcement
99
Target B.3 Promotion of research on chemical hazards (Convention No. 155, Art. 12(c);
Information and Convention No. 187, Art. 4(3)(e); Convention No. 148, Art. 14 (air pollution))
standardized methods
Consideration of latest scientific knowledge when determining prohibited/restricted
are available and used
substances, exposure levels and other chemical safety measures (Convention
to understand the
No. 155, Art. 12(c); Convention No. 139, Art. 1(3) (carcinogens), Convention
impacts of chemicals
No. 149, Art. 8(3) (air pollution); Convention No. 162, Art. 15(2) (asbestos))
and waste for improved
burden of-disease Periodic review of policies on chemicals (Convention No. 170, Art. 4; Convention
and cost-of-inaction No. 174, Arts. 4, 11, 15; Convention No. 155, Arts. 4-7; Convention No. 161,
estimates, to inform Art. 2; Convention No. 187, Arts. 3, 5; Convention No. 176, Art. 3 (mining);
the advancement Convention No. 184, Art. 4(1), (2) (agriculture))
of chemical safety
measures and to
measure progress
towards reducing those
impacts
Target B.4 SDS for workers (Convention No. 170, Art. 8, 10(1))
Educational, training
Information and training of workers on chemical hazards (Convention No. 170,
and public awareness
Art. 15; Convention No. 174, Arts. 9(c), 20(d) and (e); Convention No. 155, Arts.
programmes on
5(c), 14, 19(d); Convention No. 161, Art. 5(i); Convention No. 187, Art. 4(3)(c);
chemical safety and
Convention No. 148, Art. 7(2) (air pollution); Convention No. 139, Art. 4
sustainability have
(carcinogens); Convention No. 162, Art. 22(2) and (3) (asbestos); Convention
been developed
No. 167, Art. 33 (construction); Convention No. 176, Art. 10(a) (mining);
and implemented,
Convention No. 184, Art. 7(b) (agriculture))
including for vulnerable
populations, along with
worker safety curricula
and programmes at all
levels
Target B.5 Substitution of hazardous substances by less harmful ones (Convention No. 170,
Countries and Art. 13(1)(a) and (b); Convention No. 174, Art. 9(b); Convention No. 161, Art.
stakeholders are imple- 5(c); Convention No. 155, Art. 5(a); Convention No. 139, Art. 2(1) (carcinogens);
menting training on Convention No. 162, Art. 10(a) (asbestos); Convention No. 136, Art. 2(1) (benzene);
environmentally sound Convention No. 167, Art. 28(2)(a) (construction);
and safer alternatives,
There is no explicit mentioning of substitution in Convention No. 184 on agriculture,
as well as on substi-
however this would be covered under “preventative measures for the use of
tutions and the use of
chemicals” in Art. 13 and “risk minimization” in Art. 14
safer alternatives, such
as agroecology
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE C: Issues of concern [that warrant [global] [and] [joint] action] are identified,
prioritized and addressed
Target C.1 Implementation and periodic review of a coherent policy on safety in the use of
Programmes of work chemicals at work (Convention No. 170, Art. 4; Convention No. 174, Art. 4; Con-
including timelines are vention No. 155, Arts. 4-7; Convention No. 161, Art. 2; Convention No. 187, Art. 3;
established, adopted Convention No. 176, Art. 3 (mining); Convention No. 184, Art. 4(1), (2) (agriculture))
and implemented for
(According to Art. 7 of Convention No. 155, a national policy must include the peri-
identified issues
odic review of the safety and health situations in working environments, to identify
major problems and to develop priorities of action)
Target C.2 Classification and appropriate labelling/marking of chemicals (Convention No. 170,
Information on the Arts. 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11; Convention No. 162, Art. 14 (asbestos); Convention No. 184,
properties and risk Art. 12(a) (agriculture))
management of
Promotion of research on chemical hazards (Convention No. 155, Art. 12(c);
chemicals across the
Convention No. 187, Art. 4(3)(e); Convention No. 148, Art. 14 (air pollution))
supply chain and the
chemical contents of SDS for workers (Convention No. 170, Art. 8, 10(1))
products is available to
Information and training of workers on chemical hazards (Convention No. 170, Art.
all to enable informed
15; Convention No. 174, Arts. 9(c), 20(d) and (e); Convention No. 155, Arts. 5(c),
decisions
14, 19(d); Convention No. 161, Art. 5(i); Convention No. 187, Art. 4(3)(c); Convention
100 No. 148, Art. 7(2) (air pollution); Convention No. 139, Art. 4 (carcinogens); Convention
No. 162, Art. 22(2) and (3) (asbestos); Convention No. 167, Art. 33 (construction);
Convention No. 176, Art. 10(a) (mining); Convention No. 184, Art. 7(b) (agriculture))
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE D: Benefits to human health and the environment are maximized and risks are
prevented or, where not feasible, minimized through safer alternatives, innovative and sustainable solutions
and forward thinking
Target D.1 ubstitution of hazardous substances by less harmful ones (Convention No. 170,
S
Companies adopt Art. 13(1)(a) and (b); Convention No. 174, Art. 9(b); Convention No. 161, Art.
corporate policies and 5(c); Convention No. 155, Art. 5(a); Convention No. 139, Art. 2(1) (carcinogens);
practices that promote Convention No. 162, Art. 10(a) (asbestos); Convention No. 136, Art. 2(1) (benzene);
resource efficiency Convention No. 167, Art. 28(2)(a) (construction))
and that incorporate
Consideration of latest scientific knowledge when determining prohibited/restricted
the development,
substances, exposure levels and other chemical safety measures (Convention No. 155,
production and use of
Art. 12(c); Convention No. 139, Art. 1(3) (carcinogens), Convention No. 149, Art. 8(3)
sustainable and safer
(air pollution); Convention No. 162, Art. 15(2) (asbestos))
alternatives, including
new technologies
and non-chemical
alternatives
Target D.2 Govern- Substitution of hazardous substances by less harmful ones (Convention No. 170,
ments implement Art. 13(1)(a) and (b); Convention No. 174, Art. 9(b); Convention No. 161, Art.
policies that promote 5(c); Convention No. 155, Art. 5(a); Convention No. 139, Art. 2(1) (carcinogens);
innovation to facilitate Convention No. 162, Art. 10(a) (asbestos); Convention No. 136, Art. 2(1) (benzene);
the recycling and Convention No. 167, 28(2)(a) (construction))
reuse of products, the
Suitable system for the recycling of chemical waste (Convention No. 184, Art. 12(c)
adoption of sustainable
(agriculture))
and safe alternatives,
including new technol-
ogies and non-chem-
ical alternatives (e.g.,
the prioritized licensing
of reduced-risk
alternatives, assess-
ment frameworks,
labelling schemes and
purchasing policies)
Target D.3 Notification requirements for employers (Convention No. 174, Art. 8 (notification
Companies, including of major hazard installations), Arts. 13 and 14 (notification of major accidents);
from the investment Convention No. 155, Art. 11(c) (notification of occupational accidents and diseases);
sector, incorporate Convention No. 148, Art. 12 (notification of use of air pollutants); Convention No. 162,
strategies and policies Arts. 13, 21(5) (notification of use of asbestos and of asbestos related diseases);
to support the sound Convention No. 167, Art. 34 (notification of accidents and diseases in construction);
management of chemi- Convention No. 176, Art. 5(2)(c) (notification of serious accidents in mines))
cals and waste in their
investment approaches
and business models
and apply interna-
tionally-recognized
reporting standards
where relevant
Target D.4 Substitution of hazardous substances by less harmful ones (Convention No. 170,
Companies apply Art. 13(1)(a) and (b); Convention No. 174, Art. 9(b); Convention No. 161, Art. 5(c);
sustainable produc- Convention No. 155, Art. 5(a); Convention No. 139, Art. 2(1) (carcinogens);
tion principles and Convention No. 162, Art. 10(a) (asbestos); Convention No. 136, Art. 2(1) (benzene);
life-cycle management Convention No. 167, 28(2)(a) (construction))
in the design of
Suitable system for the recycling of chemical waste (Convention No. 184, Art. 12(c)
chemicals, materials
(agriculture))
and products,
taking reduced-risk,
design-for-recycling
and non-chemical
solutions and pro-
cesses into account
101
Target D.5 There are no provisions in ILO instruments addressing obligations of employers’
Industry associations organisations with regard to promoting the safe use of chemicals, including in SMEs.
promote change
towards sustainability
and the safe man-
agement of waste
and of chemicals and
consumer products
throughout their life-
cycles, including in
sharing information
and building the
capacity of small and
medium-sized enter-
prises to reduce risks
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE E TARGETS: [The importance of the sound management of chemicals and waste
as an essential element in achieving sustainable development is recognized by all[; adequate financial and
non-financial resources are [identified and] mobilized; actions are accelerated; and necessary [transparent
and accountable] partnerships are established to foster cooperation among stakeholders].
Target E.1 Implementation and periodic review of a coherent policy on safety in the use of
The highest levels of chemicals at work (Convention No. 170, Art. 4; Convention No. 174, Art. 4;
stakeholder organi- Convention No. 155, Arts. 4-7; Convention No. 161, Art. 2; Convention No. 187,
zations, including Art. 3; Convention No. 176, Art. 3 (mining); Convention No. 184, Art. 4(1), (2)
government, industry, (agriculture))
civil society and inter-
Tripartism and involvement of social partners at the national level (Convention
national organizations
No. 170, Arts. 3, 4; Convention No. 174, Arts. 4(1), 5(1), 6(1); Convention No. 155,
in all relevant sectors,
Arts. 4(1), 8; Convention No. 161, Arts. 2, 4; Convention No. 187, Arts. 2(3), 3(3),
formally recognize the
4(1), 5(1); Convention No. 148, Art. 5(1) (air pollution); Convention No. 139, Art. 6(a);
importance of and
Convention No. 162, Arts. 3(3), 4 (asbestos); Convention No. 136, Arts. 3(1), 9(2)
commit to action on
(benzene); Convention No. 167, Arts. 1(2), 3(construction); Convention No. 176, Arts.
the sound manage-
2(2), 3 (mining); Convention No. 184, Art. 8(4) (agriculture))
ment of chemicals and
waste, and recognize
its relevance to sus-
tainable development
Target E.2 ILO instruments do not address the connection between OSH policies and economic
Policies and processes development policies.
for the management of
chemicals and waste
are integrated into
national and regional
development strategies
Target E.3 Implementation and periodic review of a coherent policy on safety in the use of
Inter- and intra-sec- chemicals at work (Convention No. 170, Art. 4; Convention No. 174, Art. 4; Con-
toral partnerships, vention No. 155, Arts. 4-7; Convention No. 161, Art. 2; Convention No. 187, Art. 3;
networks and collab- Convention No. 176, Art. 3 (mining); Convention No. 184, Art. 4(1), (2) (agriculture))
orative mechanisms
(The national policy requirements for all general chemical instruments, i.e. Conventions
are established to
Nos. 170, 174, 155, 161 and 187, require ratifying States to implement a general
mobilize resources,
national policy on chemical safety at work, which encompasses all risks in all sectors
to share information,
and all occupations, in the whole national territory)
experiences and
lessons learned, and
to promote coordinated
action at the regional
and international levels
102
SAICM "Overarching Policy Framework"
RISK REDUCTION
Minimizing risks to ILO chemicals instruments such as Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 mirror this
the health of workers objective. Both of these instruments aim at reducing the risks of hazardous chemi-
and the environment cals for workers and the environment. The objective of an overall “risk management
throughout the strategy” is embodied in Art. 4 of Convention No. 170 and Art. 4 of Convention
life-cycle of chemicals No. 174, which both require the implementation and periodic review of a national
(14(a)) policy on chemical safety at work. The policy must advance, at all relevant levels,
the right of workers to a safe and healthy working environment and promote
principles such as assessing risks or hazards, combating risks or hazards at source
and developing a national preventative safety and health culture.
Implementing effective The objective for detailed safety information on chemicals in Section 14(c) of
risk management SAICM is specifically advanced by Convention No. 170, which contains extensive
strategies aimed at risk requirements on the classification and labelling of chemicals, on SDS and on the
reduction and elimina- training and information of workers about hazards.
tion, including detailed
safety information on
chemicals (14(c))
Giving priority The primacy of prevention over protection is embodied in both Conventions
consideration to Nos. 170 and 174. Convention No. 174 in its title already refers to the prevention of
the application of major accidents and contains numerous obligations directed at this goal. Convention
preventative measures No. 170 also contains many preventative provisions (e.g. Art. 10 on risk identifi-
(section 14(f)) cation, Art. 12 on exposure reduction or Art. 15 on information and training). A
main provision in this regard is also Art. 13 on operational control, which explicitly
states that employers must first take all steps to eliminate or minimize a chemical
risk for workers and can only revert to protective measures (such as the provision of
protective equipment) if prevention measures are insufficient.
Ensuring that existing, Regarding this aim, Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 are especially helpful as both
new and emerging of them, unlike the BRS and Minamata Conventions, contain general provisions
issues of global addressing all hazardous chemicals, not just a list of specific ones. The provisions
concern are sufficiently of the ILO instruments are therefore much more flexible and can easily accommo-
addressed (section date any new chemical risks which emerge, while the other Conventions first have to
14(g)) be amended to cover such new risks.
KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION
Ensuring that knowl- This aim is well reflected in ILO chemicals instruments, especially Convention
edge and information No. 170, the core obligations of which cover all of the elements of the GHS, i.e. the
on chemicals are suf- classification, labelling and SDS as well as the training and education of workers.
ficient and that such Convention No. 170 can also be seen as a precursor of the GHS and the ILO also
information is available has been one of the main initiators of the GHS and is constantly promoting its
to all stakeholders implementation.
and disseminated in
appropriate language
(Section 15(a) and
(b)); need to promote
the GHS (15(h))
GOVERNANCE
Establishing com- This aim corresponds to the approach of ILO instruments such as Conventions
prehensive national Nos. 170 and 174, which are both multi-sectoral and prescribe the establishment
and international of national policies on chemical hazards, which must include the establishment of
mechanisms that are appropriate national mechanisms to address chemical risks at all levels and ensure
multi-sectoral and accountability. ILO instruments also provide for a robust international system which
ensure accountability ensures accountability of ratifying States, by inter alia subjecting them to the
(Section 16(a)) supervision of the ILO supervisory system.
103
Provision of guidance The ILO has pursued a number of activities in this regard and has inter alia
to stakeholders and developed and published a number of relevant codes of conduct on many different
the promotion of aspects of chemical safety at work.
relevant codes of
conduct (Section 16(c)
and (e))
Promotion of the active As tripartism is one of the core principles of the ILO, this objective is also well
participation of civil reflected in ILO instruments, which all require the active involvement of workers
society and workers and employers in decision-making processes, whether at national level or at factory
in regulatory and level (e.g. Arts. 4, 18 of Convention No. 170 and Arts. 4, 5, 6 and 20 of Convention
other decision-making No. 174).
processes (Section
16(g))
CAPACITY BUILDING
(Section 17) The objective of “capacity building” is also reflected in ILO instruments such as
Conventions Nos. 170 and 174 but also most other ILO chemicals instruments,
which contain obligations on the constant improvement of chemical safety measures
and the driving of innovations in this regard, as well as to inform and educate about
such measures.
ILLEGAL INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC
(Section 18) This objective is not reflected in ILO instruments.
104
SAICM Emerging Policy Issues (EPIs)
Lead in paint The topic of lead in paint was one of the first OSH issues discussed by the ILO
which, as early as 1923, adopted Convention No. 13 which prohibits the use
of white lead in the internal painting of buildings. The Convention still has 63
ratifications and is therefore quite relevant with regard to the achievement of the
SAICM aim to completely abolish the use of lead in paint around the world.
Unfortunately, however, the Convention only covers white lead and not other forms
of lead used in paint (e.g. chrome yellow or red lead) and it also only prohibits
white lead paint inside buildings, not on the outside of buildings. For this reason
Convention No. 13 has recently been reviewed by the ILO SRM TWG, which, while
not classifying the Convention as up-to-date, also did not classify it is outdated,
given its high ratification rate and therefore continuing relevance.
All forms of hazardous lead paint which are not covered by Convention No. 13 are
however still covered as occupational risks under Convention No. 170 and also
general OSH instruments such as Convention No. 155. As lead paint is extremely
hazardous, it is quite likely that its exposure to workers would have to be prohibited
under the exposure requirements of Art. 12(a) of Convention No. 170. (Unfortu-
nately, so far the CEACR has not referred to lead in its comments on Convention
No. 170.)
Pesticides This EPI concerns the abolition of the use of lead in paint; it also concerns
reduction of the use of highly hazardous pesticides and their replacement with less
harmful substances.
In this regard special reference can be made to ILO instruments on OSH in
agriculture, especially Convention No. 184 which contains a number of obligations
related to pesticides. The main provision in this regard is Art. 13 which prescribes
the adoption of regulations requiring that agricultural undertakings must establish
preventative and protective measures for the handling of chemicals such as
pesticides. This obligation is further specified by the ILO Code of Practice on
Safety and Health in Agriculture (see above). This code contains a large number of
guidelines on pesticide handling and inter alia lists relevant pesticides in relation
to their hazard levels, including a list of pesticides which are highly or extremely
hazardous (see para. 10.2.2.1.2). It also contains guidelines on the handling of
hazardous pesticides and limiting the exposure of workers to them (para 10.3.1.4)
and recommends, as the preferable solution, the substitution of hazardous
pesticides by less-harmful products (paras. 10.3.2 and 10.3.1.4).
In its comments on Convention No. 184, the CEACR has also referred to the issue
of the use of toxic pesticides and has urged States to improve the protection of
agricultural workers against them (e.g. Kyrgyzstan, DR, 2019 related to workers in
tobacco fields).
Chemicals in This EPI concerns the management and tracking of harmful chemicals in products.
products There does not exist an ILO instrument specifically addressing this issue.
As a general chemical risk, however, chemicals in products fall under the general
obligations on chemical safety in Convention No. 170 (see Arts. 1(1) and 2(a) and
(b)). In this regard Convention No. 170 mainly protects workers against excessive
exposure to hazardous chemicals in the products they produce (Art. 12).
As mentioned, however, Convention No. 170 also contains several provisions
protecting the general public and thus also the consumers of such products. In this
regard Convention No. 170 requires labelling of all products containing hazardous
chemicals (Art. 7) and also protects the public and the environment against the
unsound disposal of products containing hazardous chemicals (Art. 14). (However,
so far the issue of chemicals in products has not been addressed by comments of
the CEACR on Convention No. 170 or other ILO chemicals instruments.)
105
Electrical and This EPI concerns the minimization of risks relating to hazardous substances within
electronic products the life-cycle of electrical and electronic products and especially the minimization of
the risks of e waste.
There exists no ILO instrument specifically addressing these hazards; however, as
regards the issue of chemicals in products, the general obligations of Convention
No. 170 also apply and provide for protection against occupational risks, labelling
and the sound disposal of the electrical and electronic products. (The issue of
chemical hazards relating to electronics has so far also not been addressed in
CEACR comments on Convention No. 170 and other ILO chemicals instruments.)
Nanomaterials, Other EPIs address risks related to a number of specific hazardous substances,
endocrine-dis- i.e. nanomaterials, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, environmentally-persistent
rupting chemicals, pharmaceutical pollutants and perfluorinated chemicals. These hazards are all
environmentally also covered by Convention No. 170. (CEACR comments on chemical instruments
persistent pharma- unfortunately at present do not specifically refer to any of those substances or
ceutical pollutants groups of substances.)
and perfluorinated
This does not mean, however, that the ILO has not addressed these risks at all.
chemicals
(There exist for example a number of policy papers (co-)produced by the ILO on
most of those risks.n)

Endnotes for annexes
a The case on Colombia e.g. concerned informal workers in agricultural enterprises.
b In the case in question, employers misused laws on the protection of business secrets to limit the information they provided on
SDS.
c In the case concerning Germany, the law required a period of 40 years to keep records on workers carrying out activities with
hazardous substances. However the law did not prescribe any minimum time for the keeping of records on risk assessments. In the
cases concerning Sweden and Finland, the CEACR noted that there were no laws to prescribe any minimum periods for the keeping
of records (except for records on carcinogens in the case of Sweden).
d In the case of Saudi Arabia, the government provided legislation covering the oil, petrochemical, chemical manufacturing, elec-
tricity, water, gas, mining, metal manufacturing, civil explosives, industrial services, communication and port industries. It did
not, however, indicate if there existed other industries with major hazard installations in the country and if there also existed laws
covering such other industries.
e In the case on Zimbabwe, the government only provided regulations covering factories but no other types of installation.
f In the case of Brazil, the failure was due to a lack of consensus between the government and social partners on the way in which
the Article should be implemented.
g In the case of Brazil, the implementation failed due to a lack of tripartite consensus on the implementation. In the case of
Colombia, the reasons were not clear for the CEACR.
h See the previous footnote. In the Saudi Arabia case, the reasons for the implementation failure were also unclear.
i A treaty among African countries prohibiting the import of hazardous waste, see https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/
environmental-rights-and-governance/what-we-do/meeting-international-environmental
j The regulation bans all export of hazardous waste for all EU member States, see https://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/ship-
ments/.
k See http://www.basel.int/Implementation/LegalMatters/Compliance/GeneralIssuesActivities/Activities201819/tabid/6122/Default.
aspx.
l This can e.g. be seen by the fact that to date there only have been 4 self-submissions and no party-party submissions, see
under the link http://www.basel.int/Implementation/LegalMatters/Compliance/SpecificSubmissionsActivities/Currentsubmissions/
tabid/2310/Default.aspx.
m Owing to this lack, ILO Convention No. 162 and Recommendation No. 172 are among the few international instruments specifically
concerned with asbestos. The Rotterdam Convention only covers some forms of asbestos, but not the most used form, “chrysotile
asbestos” (the Basel Convention only covers waste containing asbestos dust or fibres (Annex I, Y36)). Convention No. 162 and Rec-
ommendation No. 172 do however not require a complete ban of asbestos and only regulates its use (while still requiring a reduction
of the use of asbestos as much as possible). It can therefore be viewed as not completely up to date and it should be made sure
that the existence of Convention No. 162 and Recommendation No. 172 do not justify the continuing use of asbestos around the
world. (In this regard it must however also be noted that there have been cases in which the implementation of Convention No. 162
led to a complete ban of the use of asbestos. An important case is Canada, where, based on comments of trade unions, the CEACR
found that due to Canada’s technological advancement as well as the new research indicating no safe exposure limit for asbestos,
a total prohibition of asbestos according to Art. 10(b) had become technologically possible and therefore also “necessary to protect
workers’ health” in the sense of the Article. Following these comments, an asbestos ban was adopted in Canada.
n E.g. the background paper redacted for the development of an ILO policy framework for hazardous substances, which extensively
deals with nanomaterials, see https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---sector/documents/meetingdocument/
wcms_160746.pdf; a “Nanosafety and Ethics Strategic Plan (2012-2016)” of Thailand, whose development the ILO supported or
an IPCS paper on endocrine disruption co-prepared by the ILO, see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3620733/.
107
ILO INSTRUMENTS
ON CHEMICAL SAFETY
ILO INSTRUMENTS ON CHEMICAL SAFETY – Analysis and synergies with other international frameworks on the sound management of chemicals
Analysis and synergies with
other international frameworks on
Labour Administration, Labour International Labour Office Tel: +41 22 799 67 15

Inspection and Occupational Safety Route des Morillons 4 Fax: +41 22 799 68 78
and Health Branch (LABADMIN/OSH) CH-1211 Geneva 22 labadmin-osh@ilo.org
Governance and Tripartism Switzerland ilo.org/labadminosh
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ILO INSTRUMENTS

Labour Administration, Labour International Labour Office Tel: +41 22 799 67 15

International Labour Organization

ILO instruments on chemical safety

ISBN: 978-92-2-031384-8 (print)

Printed in Switzerland ILO

C. Analysis of ILO instruments on Chemicals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

I. ILO instruments on chemical risks at work.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

II. ILO instruments on major industrial accidents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

IV. List of Occupational Diseases Recommendation, 2002 (No. 194).. . . . . . . 24

V. ILO instruments on occupational cancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

VI. ILO instruments on air pollution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

VII. ILO instruments on asbestos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

VIII. ILO instruments on benzene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

IX. I LO instruments on chemical safety in agriculture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

X. I LO instruments on chemical safety in construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

XI. ILO instruments on chemical safety in mining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

XII. ILO instruments on labour inspection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

XIII. ILO codes of practice on shipbuilding and shipbreaking.. . . . . . . . . . . 43

XIV. OSH Management Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

I. Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements

II. Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for

IV. Minamata Convention on Mercury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

V. Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals .57

E. ILO instruments in relation to SDGs and major international

I. Sustainable Development Goals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

II. SAICM and the Beyond 2020 process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Characteristics of ILO instruments

I. ILO instruments have their own range of application

II. ILO Conventions mainly operate in the area of domestic policy

III. The ILO has a strong and elaborate supervisory system

Implementation of ILO Conventions is ensured by a strong and elaborate supervisory system.

IV. ILO instruments promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

II. Ratification rates

I. ILO instruments on chemical risks at work

1. Chemicals Convention, 1990 (No. 170)

The major recurrent issues raised by the supervisory bodies are:

i. Part I: Scope and Definitions

ii. Part II: General principles

iii. Part III: Classification and related measures

iv. Part IV: Responsibilities of employers

Supervisory comments: Comments of the CEACR relating to Art. 16 refer to shortcomings in

v. Part V: Duties of workers

vi. Part VI: Rights of workers and their representatives

vii. Part VII Responsibility of exporting States

2. Chemicals Recommendation, 1990 (No. 177)

3. Code of Practice: Safety in the use of chemicals at work

5. Promoting the global application of Convention No. 170 and its

Feedback on the implementation of some provisions of the Convention: In response to a 2003

20 See http://www.ilo.org/global/standards/international-labour-standards-policy/WCMS_569991/lang--en/index.htm, p. 11.

II. ILO instruments on major industrial accidents

1. Major Industrial Accidents Convention, 1993 (No. 174)

• lack of implementation of the obligation of exporting States to provide information to

i. Part I: Scope and definitions

ii. Part II: General principles

iii. Part III: Responsibilities of employers

The safety report must be made available to the competent authority.

iv. Part IV: responsibilities of competent authorities

C. Analysis of ILO instruments on Chemicals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

I. ILO instruments on chemical risks at work.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

IV. List of Occupational Diseases Recommendation, 2002 (No. 194).. . . . . . . 24

IX. I LO instruments on chemical safety in agriculture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

X. I LO instruments on chemical safety in construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

XIII. ILO codes of practice on shipbuilding and shipbreaking.. . . . . . . . . . . 43

I. Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements

II. Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for

V. Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals .57

E. ILO instruments in relation to SDGs and major international

I. ILO instruments on chemical risks at work

5. Promoting the global application of Convention No. 170 and its

• lack of implementation of the obligation of exporting States to provide information to

2. Major Industrial Accidents Recommendation, 1993 (No. 181)

4. Highlights of Convention No. 174 and its Recommendation

5. Promoting the global application of Convention No. 174 and its

2. Occupational Safety and Health Recommendation, 1981 (No. 164)

IV. List of Occupational Diseases

2. Occupational Cancer Recommendation, 1974 (No. 147)

2. Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration)

4. Special considerations for Convention No. 162 and

IX. ILO instruments on chemical safety

• the inability of governments to name an authority competent for the establishment of a

2. Safety and Health in Agriculture Recommendation, 2001 (No. 192)

3. Code of Practice on Occupational Safety and Health in Agricul-

X. ILO instruments on chemical safety

2. Safety and Health in Construction Recommendation, 1988

3. Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Opencast Mines and

I. asel Convention on the Control of